The Rave versus the Shadow
by midnightwars
Summary: After first meeting the Shadow Master, things start to go wrong. Elies been kidnapped and doesnt seem remember the past week, the Oracion Seis are apparently still breathing and are out to kill Elie, Eitherion has been reawakened. Will Haru be able to save Elie from the devious claws of the Shadow Master and seal Eitherion in time, or will he end up saving her from herself instead?
1. Chapter 1

( **A/N The fanfic's set when Lucia first meets Haru in episode 44 I think. Hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to Read &Review!)**

"Come on!" Haru called tauntingly at his opponent, the Shadow Stone Master. It was if he was the light, and the Shadow Master the dark. He gripped his sword more tightly as the man approached, only to walk straight past him. "What the-" He mumbled in confusion turning around, but instead, stopping dead in his tracks. The entire group were staring in shock at Elie, whose lips were pressed forcibly against the blondes. _That…bastard!_ Haru glanced at Elie who was pushing away violently with her hands. Finally, the girl broke the strong grip which had just been wrapped around her shoulders. Elie then stood still for a few seconds before collapsing onto the earth in tears. He watched in part anger part pity as Elie rubbed furiously at her lips, turning the skin red. In between gasps of breath she cried out,

"T-That was my first, my first kiss." Elie then shot a death glare at the Shadow Master. "How could you?!" Haru broke from his daze at seeing Elie in this state. Tears poured out of her eyes and she faced her head downwards, refusing to look up. He met eyes with the Shadow Master and shot a glare that said, _I'll kill you for doing_ _that to Elie!_ The Shadow Master merely smirked, which pissed him off even more.

In a flash, Musica was by his side his mouth curved downwards into a frown forming a sour look. Musica extended his arm and his silver melted, moving like a snake, to form a whip. "Hey Haru, no explosions or anything like that. The dude's standing in front of Elie," Growled the Silver Claimer. _Well that's going to limit what I can_ _do with the Rave._ As he was about to let loose a battle cry, something strange happened. He only caught a glimpse of it, a sword was swiftly unsheathed and brought down to stab the earth. The earth rippled then exploded, sending him, Musica, and the other members of the group flying.

"What was that-poyo?!" Ruby cried out.

"Did it come from his sword?" Let responded in disbelief. "But when did he do it?" A cloud of smoke was covering the scene where the Shadow Master, and Elie, was. It eventually settled to reveal the blonde in a crater caused by this power. He had both hands on the hilt of his sword which tip was stuck in the ground. Haru watched suspiciously as the man brought a hand up to rest upon his Shadow Stone, ever so slightly tipping it back and forth on his chest. Haru got into a battle stance once again, preparing for what might come.

But he didn't expect this. A female scream pierced the air sending goosebumps down his arms. That scream was familiar, it was _Elie's_. In alarm he flipped his head up to look the girl who had stumbled to her feet but now was hunched over clutching her stomach in pain. In an evil voice the Shadow Master spoke, "Well, it kicked in sooner than I thought." Haru's eyes flashed dangerously,

" _What_ kicked in? _What_ did you do to Elie?!" He called out his voice full of anger. The Shadow Master ignored him and stared almost expectantly at Elie, who was now meeting the blondes gaze.

"It-was on your lips," Elie spoke through clenched teeth. He watched helplessly as Elie's muscles went slack and she fell forward, only to be caught by him. The Shadow Master glanced at him through golden cold eyes, a smirk still plastered across his face.

"We'll be meeting each other sometime in the near future Rave Master,"

Haru took a step forward and shouted, "Where the hell do you think you're going with Elie?! Silfarion!" His shiny silver blade morphed into light blue one. Haru brought it over his shoulder and swung it forward. A strong gust of wind followed this action and was heading straight for the Shadow Master. He watched in surprise as the man raised his own sword, and let loose a wall of fire. The wind hit the fire headon and the flames sparked growing higher in the air. _Damnit_! The wall of fire slowly died out, but by then it was too late.

The Shadow Master was gone and Elie with him. " _Damnit_ …Elie…" He silently swore under his breath and felt hot tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. But he quickly wiped them away. "Now's not a time to be crying." Haru mumbled through clenched teeth and snapped his head up. His glassy purple eyes flittered across the broken land, searching for Musica and the others.

"Ploooo!" Haru looked downwards to see Plue clutching his pant leg. A weak smile grew on his face,

"Hey buddy, do you know where the others are?" Plue didn't give him an answer but instead turned and waddled the other way. He squinted his eyes as he walked for the wind was stirring up the dirt and sand. After a while a limp body caught his eye. In panic he rushed over to find Musica sprawled out on the earth. "Musica…" He said breathlessly. The Silver Claimer had a large piece of rock resting on his chest, and it didn't seem like he was breathing. Suddenly, something cool and smooth was wrapped around his ankle. In surprise he jumped back and shook his foot trying to get whatever it was off.

"Haru…knock it off and come over and help me," A weak voice coughed. That's Musica! Haru looked at his foot and found the thing was really Musica's silver. As fast as he could, he rushed back over to the boy and knelt down. Musica's dark brown eyes met his and he said, "I managed to slow the rock's impact with my silver, but it still hurt like hell. It's crushing my left arm right now so push it off to the right." Haru nodded grimly and set down his sword. In a second he had his shoulder pushing against the rock, slowly moving it off Musica's body.

As the rubble connected with the earth, Musica let out a loud gasp, quickly sucking in air. A few seconds later he fell into a coughing fit. "Where's Elie?" Rasped Musica. Haru's silence was enough to answer that question. On the earth Musica cursed a number of times before pounding his fist on the ground. "That guy is bad news Haru we have to get Elie back, and _fast_."

"I agree but, where even would we start?" Musica was about to answer when an annoyingly familiar voice cut through the silence.

"Oh sir Pluuuee! Where are you?!" _Great. It's Griff_. He mentally sighed.

"Shut it! We don't know if the enemy is still here!" That was Let.

"B-but do you think Elie is all right-poyo?" Stuttered Ruby. Good, we're all here. A few seconds later the threesome came into sight. Griff ran-or slithered, however he walks-over and crushed Plue with a hug and a million questions. Let and Ruby came after more slowly. Ruby stood next to Musica examining his wounds, and Let stood off to the side arms folded and glaring at him. Finally, he had enough.

"What's your problem?!" He asked Let through furious eyes. The dragon warrior didn't reply at first but then said,

"You let him get away." It was a statement that made him even more mad.

"Yeah I know you don't need to say it." Haru snapped. Griff then whined,

"And he took Miss Elie with him!" It was silent as the group took it in. The Shadow Master, supposedly the Rave Masters most dangerous enemy, had kidnapped someone who was very dear to him.

With his voice filled with determination he said, "We're going to get Elie back no matter what!" The small sentence seemed to cheer up the group, but the mood soon was gone. A deafening sound erupted out of nowhere, he decided it sounded like wings. A dark shadow fell upon him and he looked up, a sharp intake of breath showed his surprise. A dragon was in the air, getting lower and landing. Once the four feet touched the earth, five people appeared. He recognized some immediately; they were the Oracion Seis. But they're dead! Gale Raregroove destroyed them!

* * *

Reina stepped forward and looked at the scene. The earth had a crater in it, a group of injured kids off to the side, not a big deal. Reina then turned towards Haja and said, "He's not here either. Must've left already." A man with brown hair cut to shoulder length glanced around the crater,

"There's some magical residue here similar to that of Etherions."

"Julius that's impossible-" Reina tried to speak but was cut off by Haja,

"It might not be, the prisoner might have awakened Etherion once again,"

A man with blue skin and horns spoke, "I want the pleasure of snapping the little missy's neck."

"Sure whatever," Reina said with a sigh. It was silent until Haja called out to Julius whom had joined Jagen upon his dragon.

"Julius! I want you to stay behind and search for any other traces of Etherions power or the prisoner's." She saw Julius was clearly unhappy but he didn't object as he flipped his hair over his shoulder and slid down the dragon.

Haru and his friends didn't speak a word but watched the scene unfold before them. By the time the Oracion Seis left, Julius had spotted them and was ready to take out his bad mood on them. Let was the most battle ready out of all of them, he man-dragon pushed them in the direction of their hopefully fixed airship and began to fight.

* * *

 _Where…am I?_ She felt like she had a hangover, and a really bad one at that. She felt nauseous, her head was pounding, her vision blurry, memory fuzzy. That struck some panic in her, that she couldn't remember. Of course she remembered Haru, Musica, and Let, the memory loss was just limited to these past few days. Elie couldn't get a sense of her surroundings, everything was going by too fast. She could feel cold wind whipping on her face, blowing her hair back and chilling her neck. But a warmth, the warmth of a human, was connected to her. Opening her bleary eyes she focused on a figure that turned out to be a man. He had wild blonde hair, golden eyes that were in slits and fixed on something in the distance, and a scar that went from below his left eye and up to the hairline. He wore a heavy coat, from what she could tell the inside was very soft. Elie closed her eyes in exhaustion and snuggled closer, hoping to keep warm. At her sudden movement, the man stiffened before relaxing his muscles once again. _This…this is nice._


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N Thank you to The gangsta of love for giving me ideas and helping me with writers block!)**

 **Disclaimer-I don't own Rave Master**

Elie awoke to darkness. Confusion hit her like a train. _Where am I?_ From what she could make out, she was in a small room. Light leaked in from a door, it was pale and constantly flickered in and out. She pushed herself up and glanced around once more, looking for Haru. Her eyes widened in panic and she gripped her clothes. _Haru! I was just with him a second ago!_ _Where could he have gone?_ She placed her head in her palms and stared at floor. _I, I can't remember._ Of course she remembered Musica, Haru, and Let, it was just the past week or so that was rapidly disappearing. Elie snapped her head up and gazed at the door. _I first have to find out where I am._

Cautiously, she sneaked over to the door and pressed her ear against it. On the other side it was silent so she figured it was safe. Her hand found the handle and twisted it, the door creaked open spilling light into the room. A flickering ray landed on her eyes and she found the source of the light were two candles mounted on either side of the doorframe. More lights filled the hallway, except these were powered by electricity. A thick red carpet lay on the floor stretching down the hall as far as she could see. Without bothering to open the door more, she squeezed past the crack and just made it without making another sound. Elie quickly looked side to side for any signs of life, but found none.

Almost on instinct, her hands slunk behind her to where her Tomppa Blasters where supposed to be. When she reached the leather straps her fingers grasped empty air. She silently swore under her breath for she knew being unarmed in an unfamiliar place was a bad thing to be. Taking a left and sticking to the walls, she slowly made her way down the corridor and hopefully to the exit. As she walked further, she took more observations. The walls were mainly a dull stone color, the floors were stone also but smooth and a darker shade than that of the wall, wooden doors that reminded her of those of a castle were scattered here and there, there wasn't a lot of decorations so it was a bit too plain for her taste, windows were placed higher up towards the ceiling and gave the hall natural light.

As she walked, it was so silent she began to let her guard down; that is until a man started walking her way. _It's okay, play it cool. Act like you belong here._ She bit her lip ever so slightly and nodded in the man's direction, he didn't give any signs of even seeing her. As he walked by, time seemed to slow. _Why is it that he seems familiar? He gives me a bad feeling through…_ The man had a face she could've sworn she'd seen before. Blonde hair, golden eyes that were in slits, a scar on the left side of his cheek. Before she could have another thought, time sped up again.

A hand grabbed her wrist and jerked her backwards, probably pulling the arm out of its socket. Elie took a sharp intake of breath and with shocked eyes looked over her shoulder. The man whom just been passing by was the one attacking. Whoever this guy is, she wouldn't give up that easily. Using the momentum to swing her body around, Elie curled her free hand into a fist and struck with all her might. The fist connected with the blondes chin and the grip around her wrist loosened. Seeing this as an opportunity, she slammed her foot onto the attackers and went to bring her knee up when a strong arm wrapped around her neck and pulled her back, causing her to lose her balance.

"Let me go!" Elie shouted. The man pulled her closer and hissed into her ear,

"Shut your mouth if you want to live." The cold voice struck fear in her and her voice died in her throat. Footsteps echoed in the hall and he whispered one more time before shoving her behind him, "Be quiet and stay put."

Her hands hit the floor hard but she didn't complain. Instead, she became as quiet as she could and tuned in to the conversation. The footsteps could now be heard as a clicking of heels. "Lucia!" Her eyes widened significantly. _That's Reina's voice!_ "There you are, where have you been this past hour? A scout reported in that our forces on the coast of El Nadia **(A/N Some of the places in here might've only appeared in** the **manga. El Nadia is Reina's hometown I believe)** have been defeated! He claims it's the Rave Master." Above her the one known as Lucia tsked loudly. _Lucia…that sounds familiar..._

"Don't worry about the Rave Master. He's nothing but a problem that'll soon be gone from this world." _He_ _knows of Haru! But that means if Reina's here…I'm at the Demon Cards HQ!_ The thought struck her and the only thing stopping her from getting up and making a scene was the fact that Lucia was crushing her fingers. He must've sensed her sudden movement for he applied pressure causing pain to spike in her hands.

"Is there something wrong?" Reina inquired with a tad bit of suspicion. Lucia answered in a hardened tone,

"No. Leave me alone, I'll meet up with the rest of you later."

"All right," Reina said disbelievingly and turned to walk back the way she'd came. When the clicking of Reina's heels had faded away, Lucia swiftly took a step forward releasing the pressure that had been on her fingers. Biting her lip she wrung her fingers together, hoping to get the blood flowing once again. Before she could do think of a plan to escape, Lucia had grabbed onto the back of her shirt and started walking in the opposite direction of which Reina had come from. Her hurting fingers clawed at his trying to get him to release her, but it was to no avail. Elie gave up and accepted the fact that she was being dragged and let her arms hang by her side.

She thought he was bringing her back to the room where she first woke up in, but he walked past it and they later found themselves at a dead end. Her voice shook at first when she spoke, "I-I don't mean to state the obvious but this is a dead end." Lucia tsked clearly annoyed at her. She watched thinking he was crazy as he lifted a hand and pressed it against a stone. Nothing happened. The corners of her mouth twitched and she teased, "Nice try buddy. Maybe next ti-" Her effort to tease the man was just thrown out the window as a quiet grinding noise erupted from the wall. Slowly, a space of the wall slid to the side revealing a dark staircase. Lucia harshly shoved her causing her to stumble and almost fall. Elie shot a glare at the man behind her before continuing their walk forward.

They arrived at the top maybe a little over than five minutes later. An old door coated in cobwebs blocked their path. Lucia seeing that she wasn't going to touch the door for she feared a spider would crawl up her arm, sighed and leaned forward to push it open. His cheek grazed her's before he pulled back and pushed her into the new room.

To say, it was like a palace compared to the room she'd first been in. A large bed with a canopy sat in the middle of the room, a thin black carpet covered the stone floor. A balcony was over to the side, it's small shades blowing in the night breeze. _It's night already?_ To her left was a door she assumed was the bathroom, it had been tightly shut so she had no idea of it's size. Elie had to try very hard to contain her excitement. _I'm kidnapped and_ _ **this**_ _is the room I get? I didn't even know they had these kind of rooms in the Demon Card HQ!_

Gesturing around the room she asked, "Is this my room?" Lucia flung off his coat and laid it on a chair.

"No. This is my room. I doubt we'd give prisoners this type of luxury. I'm keeping you here so you don't try to escape again." _His room?!_ Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms, sticking her nose up in the air.

"Well don't even _think_ of trying anything! If you do when Haru comes and gets me he'll beat you up!" Lucia gave an emotionless laugh.

"What makes you so sure he's coming to get you?" She swallowed hard.

"Well-because I'm his friend! And Haru would never leave a friend behind!" Satisfied with her answer, she headed to the opposite side of the room where a couch sat.

"And _where_ do you think you're going?" Elie stopped and flung a dirty look over her shoulder.

"Where else? There's no way I'm sleeping in the same bed as you." Lucia glared at her before saying,

"If you want to live you will." _Will he actually kill me?_ A glance at him told her enough, he seemed to have murderous intent just pouring out of him. Hesitantly, she slowly made her way back to the bed. When she sat down Lucia started to walk to a small cupboard that had been hung in the corner of the room. Out of it he took a powdery substance that he mixed with water and turned it yellow. As he went to come this way again he froze while his back was turned making it so she couldn't see what he was doing. When he approached her once again he was carrying a glass cup with dull yellow liquid in it.

" _What_?" She snapped looking back and forth between him and the glass. "You expect me to drink _that_? No way in hell buddy. For all I know you could've poisoned it or something." Before she could stop him-all through it'd be better on her part-Lucia lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip. She waited for him to drop unconscious, maybe even dead, to the floor but sadly nothing happened. He placed the cup in her hands then stalked over to the bathroom door and slammed it behind him.

Elie jumped at the sudden noise. He seems pissed. Her brown eyes flickered down at the glass which cooled her sweaty palms. _If it's not poison I might as well drink it, I'm_ _parched_! Lifting the glass to her nose, she swished the liquid before breathing in. The smell was sweet, almost fruity. She decided it was lemonade and tipped the glass towards the ceiling, downing it in one breath.

The moment the liquid touched her tongue, her muscles went slack. Feeling woozy, she flung a hand out to steady herself on the bed. The attempt failed and her arm bended in a way it wasn't supposed to before being crushed underneath her. Her breathing became shallow as she lay on the bed; her head was pounding and it felt like her temperature went from 98F to 120F in point two seconds. Her fingers clawed at the blanket in pain, _so that jerk did put something in it after all!_ Her hateful thoughts soon faded away as her vision blurred and the pain knocked her out.

 **Lucia's POV**

The bitter taste from the potion still lingered even after he spat it out and drank water hoping to wash away the flavor. Lucia now stood in the bathroom drying his wet hair with a towel. _That woman…she's so_ _damn stubborn_! He clenched his fist in fury then headed to the bathrooms exit. The bedroom was cold compared to the steamy shower, but then again it was all the same to him. His eyes flickered over to the girl laying unconscious on the bed and an amusing thought struck him. What would the Rave Master do if his precious little friend was tainted when she was returned? He scanned Elie's body; her delicate features on her face, her curves, lips. _This would be a wonderful way to hurt the Rave Master_. He sneered and thought, _He no doubt has feelings for the Etherion girl._ _But if he wants her back he'll have to find her_ _first_. _But_ , he walked over to the bed and plopped down on it, pulling the covers over himself, _that's too much_ _work anyways._

( **A/N In my** **opinion** **this** **chapter** **was** **a bit boring, but let me know what you guys think!)**


	3. Chapter 3

He let out a battle cry then charged forward to meet the Demon Card soldiers. With a sweep of his sword, the surrounding men were knocked back and didn't make any moves to get up. Haru used his Explosion form in hopes of scaring them away, his plan worked and the soldiers ran away in fear. Thankfully there were no casualties, from the patrols they'd run into so far, nobody really put up a fight, it was almost as if it was a distraction. Thinking of _that_ once again sent new anger flowing into his veins. He swore under his breath and walked up to a man who was struggling to stand.

Upon seeing him the man's eyes widened in fright. "P-please don't kill me!" The plea was heard and he stuck Eisenmeteor in the earth, dropping to his knees and leaning forward to grab onto the cuff of the soldiers shirt. His knees sunk into the soft dirt and he adjusted his sitting position.

"I won't, but you have to tell me," His voice became deadly calm and he stared into the man's eyes, _"Where is Elie?"_ The vibe coming from Haru must've scared the guy even more. The body went limp and was now dead weight in his hands. He carelessly dropped the man and stood back up, brushing off the dirt that had caked onto his jeans.

"Haru!" He flipped around at sound of Let. The dragon warriors dirty blonde hair ruffled in the wind and for a moment, he didn't recognize him. After Lucia had left, Let had fought a member of the Oracion Seis who proved to be more trouble than he looked, Julius. Since Musica needed his wounds treated _fast_ Let stayed behind and fought while everyone else headed back. About a half hour after they'd arrived Let came back. All through he wasn't Let, he was a man. An hour of explaining later he took in what Let had risked to defeat his opponent, his own life. Thankfully the ritual for dispersing the dragon spirit was successful. He shook the thoughts from his mind and focused on the present.

"One of them leaked a possibility to where Lucia might be." _Elie…_ His eyes drifted up to the clear blue sky before snapping back down.

"Where?" His hardened eyes locked on to the man as he waited for the information to be revealed.

"Technotia."

"What? Why would they be there?"

Let shrugged and responded, "Don't know, maybe they're passing through."

"Maybe…Let's head back. Can you clean up here? I got to go fill Musica and the crew in, come back quick!" Let nodded and began to drag the unconscious bodies to the side of the road-out of the way. To reach Technotica they'd have cross a sea to the west. It's at least a four days travel.

He grimaced and increased his pace. _By then they could already be gone!_ Five minutes later he arrived at the ship. Musica was sitting outside lounging in a chair, a pair of sunglasses resting upon his head. He guessed the rest of the crew were waiting inside or getting more food in town. Upon seeing his worried face, Musica sat up as much as he could, his purplish eyes widened and Haru jumped forward and pushed the Silver Claimer back down. "Musica take it easy! Your wounds are still healing!" The boy muttered something under his breath before meeting his eyes,

"Any news on Elie?" A smile stretched across his face. Musica was like a brother to Elie, and he was glad that if anything happened to him, Musica would be there to help her through it.

"Actually Lucia might've been spotted in Technotica, that's our next stop."

Musica nodded thoughtfully and said, "Help in inside will ya?"

"Yeah," He replied. Musica scooted to the edge of his seat and lifted up his arm, he grabbed onto his hand and pulled it so it rested along the top of neck, then he began to walk. **(A/N I think Hebi is Musica's second in command in the Silver Rhythm Gang, the dude with** ** **green spiked hair)**** Hebi had been watching Muisca from inside the ship for he knew the man couldn't fight as he usual could. As the pair approached, Hebi jumped up and lowered the ramp so they wouldn't have to climb up the ladder. "Thanks!" He called out,

"No problem! Hey boss how ya doing?" Hebi addressed Musica,

"Fine! Probably just gonna need a long nap soon!" Musica replied adding a laugh at the end.

"Hey Hebi!" He called out again to the boy whom was starting to turn back around, hearing his name the guy craned his neck to face him.

"Yeah Haru?"

"Could you call everyone here? Let got some new information on where Elie might be," Before he even finished his sentence, Hebi had ran to the staircase and was heading to the intercom. A few minutes later and;

 **"** **Hey could everyone gather in the lobby? We got some new info on Elie's whereabouts,"**

Almost immediately, he saw the crew start to drift out from either the kitchen, their rooms, or just random places. By the time everyone came Let had come back, his eyes scanned the crowded room for Plue but couldn't find him. Haru bit his lip and stared at the fading wisps of sunlight. Noise inside the ship drew his attention back. The source was Let who was attempting to take control over the rowdy bunch, finally Musica stepped up and they quieted down to listen to the man. He too tuned in even though he's already heard it before.

Let started speaking in a firm voice, "It's safe to assume that the rumor that Lucia's at Technotia is a trap." __Trap__ _?!_ Many people had reactions like his, Musica even stood and asked what made him think so, Let stayed silent and waited for the crowd to become quiet once again. "It's obvious, we've attacked many of their bases before this one so word must've gotten back to wherever Lucia is by now that we're looking for him. He's most likely assembled a large amount of Dark Bring users to kill us before we can even attack." His eyes were wide and furious as he took in what Let had discovered, or more like his _assumption_.

"Let!" He stepped forward and shouted. "You don't know that!" He looked around for people to agree with him, but almost everyone was either looking at Musica or the floor. Nobody wanted to believe it was a trap for it was that'd mean another dead end. Back to square one.

"Pluuuuu!" His anger quickly melted away and his eyes flickered down. Standing below him, shaking as usual, was Plue. A small smile grew on his face,

"Plue! Where have you been?" The animal-like creature buzzed-could he even do that?-below him, vibrating his feet before running out and onto the deck. "Plue!" Nobody stopped him as he ran after him. When he arrived into the night he found Plue balancing on the rails, automatically he dove for him, he was successful and scooped the animal into his arms."Don't do that! You could've fell!" He scolded. Plue vibrated again before climbing onto his back and nudging Eisenmeteor. With surprising strength, Plue unsheathed his sword and nudged the hilt again, he smiled when he got the message. "All right, stay over there, and away from the railings!" Plue obeyed and waddled over to the door, plopping down against the glass.

Once he made sure Plue was out of harm's way, he picked up his sword and gripped the hilt, he tossed it a few times in his hands readjusting his hold on it. Finally, he brought the sword-still in the form Eisenmeteor-behind his head and swung. Dodged. Parried. He repeated the process until he had stop for a second to wipe the sweat pouring down into his eyes, and also to take his shirt off that had been adding to his body heat. Hours passed by without him knowing it and soon enough the sun rose. Panting he paused to stare at the sun rise. The big ball of light rose above the horizon-apparently they'd passed onto the sea by now-and painted the sky multiple colors. A glance behind him told him Plue had left, in his place was a fogged up bottle of water. But when Haru walked over and picked it up it was still cold despite the warm temperature outside.

He glanced around, feeling the morning breeze ruffle his hair, and shrugged. "It was probably Musica...or Hebi, maybe Let," He uncapped the water and took a huge sip. The cool water refreshed his hot body, taking deep breaths he grabbed his shirt from the deck and walked inside. Thankfully it was quiet. No Let, who he'd rather not see at this moment, or Griff. He felt sorry for that blue blob. Like him even though he could hide it, took Elie's disappearance hard. Griff had become emotional, cried over food and just seeing him; used that 'Haru looks too much like Miss Elie' as an excuse. It was funny but sad at the same time.

His eyes scanned the dark room, hoping to find a place to sleep before it became too bright. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an empty couch Musica had been laying on yesterday. Exhaustion almost took over as he walked, dragging his feet behind him. The couch came into falling length and he collapsed, the softness didn't even hurt as it and him collided, and he was asleep before he his head touched the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

Elie leaned out of the balcony, her head resting in her palms, her elbows gently digging into the cement railings. Since the day she'd gotten here, she had been locked in the room. It'd been at least a week. Lucia provided books, writing and drawing utensils, and everything she asked for. She subconsciously rubbed a fading bruise on her wrist. Lucia sometimes became violent, only when he was really annoyed through. Other than that he hasn't touched her, thankfully. Down below two men stood guard, torches lit the bridge that provided a path across a very large and deep river. Many times she'd tried to escape; first in the passageway that Lucia had brought her up in. Second by tying sheets together to make a strong enough rope to support her and climb down the balcony. And thirdly out the bedroom's door. Each time, Lucia somehow magically appeared when it seemed she was in the clear. Just thinking about it frustrated her.

As she turned around a jingling of chains reminded her of the consequences of all her attempts to escape. Thick iron shackles were locked on both of her feet, they connected a half a foot away then slunk underneath the bed where they were bolted to the floor. Lucia must've done it while she was sleeping for she would've put up a fight if it happened while she was awake. Her brown eyes flickered over to the door, seeing if it was going to open, nothing moved.

Seeing that Lucia wasn't coming, she marched over to the bathroom. Her mouth formed into a straight line as she walked, the chains making a noise louder than she would hope behind her. The bathroom was the only room she didn't have a lot of time to look around, there was also a hallway but the door to it was always locked. If she wanted to shower she'd have to ask permission, Lucia would then unlock the chains, she'd only have five minutes. \

The bathroom was white, a large white tub with a silver shower head, a countertop larger than her outstretched body with two sinks, white tile on both floor and walls. There were no cracks, bags, or anything suspicious available to for her to see. Either it was hidden...or it wasn't here at all. A glance behind her told her it was still empty in the bedroom, the chains jingled as she slowly moved forward, but suddenly was stopped. _No more room?_ She thought in anger. _No_ , The chains jerked backwards and her with it, cutting her off from thinking anymore.

Panic flowed through her veins as she saw the angered Lucia, chains in hand, glaring down at her from above. The blonde stiffly walked forward and harshly yanked her up. Her nose scrunched up as she took in his scent; blood and dirt. He needed a shower. "I thought I told you to stay in the room!" The grip around her wrist tightened and she knew she would have another bruise later. Her free hand tried to push Lucia's hand off, but her threw her onto the bed and kneeled down. In curiosity she peaked her head under and saw he was shorting the chains.

"Hey!" She called out in sudden anger. "Leave those alone! Or better yet, take them off!" Once it had been done, Lucia snapped back up and faced her,

"Shut up will you?..." He mumbled before heading towards the bedroom door.

"You shut up! Just wait and see! Haru will come and save me!" Her hope hadn't been snuffed out yet. And that gap in her memory...it seemed more like a cavity now. The poison was eating away more and more, soon there'll be nothing left. Elie shook her head to get rid of the thoughts, strands of brown hair flying around and brushing the sides of her face. She remembered Haru, Musica, and Plue...Her face scrunched up as she counted the three fingers on her hand over and over. It seemed like some people were missing. Her fingers shook slightly and she curled them back in. _Three_. Now she _knew_ there were more than three people in the group that she traveled in with Haru, she just couldn't remember. And thinking about it gave her a headache. Elie closed her eyes even though she wasn't tired, and laid down. The comforting bed soon eased the pain in her head and lulled her to sleep.

* * *

The morning light woke her. Her mouth tasted dry and sour, on her face she could feel dried tears caked onto her face, mostly likely from a bad dream. Looking over to her left she found that Lucia had already left with no signs of him ever being there. Across the room resting on a table was her breakfast, an apple and a bottle of water. As Elie took a step off the bed she almost fell, looking down in confusment she realized the cuffs were still on her feet. Tsking in disappointment she shuffled over the balconies door. Looking outside the sun was nowhere to be seen yet the glass was burning hot, most likely sometime around noon. Since the chains prevented her from going out any further she sat where she was and watched the day go by. Birds hardly ever showed, if they did they were big black ones, they always pecked at her if she was close enough.

Hours passed, Elie had readjusted her position on the floor so that she was now lying on her back, watching the last signs of day fade away, when sudden banging on the bedroom door startled her from her daze. Words from Lucia floated into her mind, ' _If anyone other than me tries to come in, hide. If you don't I'll_ _kill you both._ ' At that time she guessed he was talking about the person who discovered her and herself. In a panic she stood, the chains jingled as she did. Silently swearing Elie grabbed the metal and looped it, running to the bed and sliding underneath it. And it was just in time too. As she did the bedroom door creaked open, and standing there a woman.

"Hey Lucia! Now where'd he run off to…" From what she could see, the woman had long green hair, she wore a tight red dress that showed off her figure. The lady bore jewelry that decorated her fingers and neck. One piece in particular caught her attention; it was a silver snake that wrapped around her arm, it's ruby eyes seemed to glare at her in hatred. The stranger walked around the bedroom for a bit, almost snooping, then checked the rest of the rooms and called out a few more times. "Damn that bastard. I'm the one who's going to get in-"

 _Jingle_.

"What's this?" No! Moving her head down as much as she dared, she saw the lady's heel had brushed a chain. Fear froze her and she held her breath, waiting for the woman to leave. Her eyes watched as something long and shiny slunk down the woman's leg, it wrapped around her own and she bit her tongue to stop herself from letting loose a squeak. Whatever it was tightened and yanked her out, the world spun and refocused with her hanging upside down. Wincing as she looked up at her ankle, it was red as a tomato and felt like it was being crushed. "You?!" The voice was pure surprise and rage, it sounded somehow familiar...

"What do you mean you?" She coughed out, "Who even are _you_?" The woman laughed,

"This isn't a game, just what the hell are you doing here?" The stranger emphasized 'here'. Elie stayed silent through the questioning. Finally, the hold around her ankle disappeared sending her crashing to the floor. "Where's that Rave Master of yours?"

"Who now?" She retorted in a snarky tone. _I'm guessing this lady doesn't know I'm a prisoner here._ A pale flash as the woman's leg shot out and dug into her stomach,

"Don't get cocky. Now, if you're here that means-" As Elie moved herself into a sitting position, the chains around her legs moved making the slightest noise, but enough to catch attention. Emerald eyes flickered to the chains and for a moment, disgust was shown. Realizing what the stranger was thinking, she jumped to her feet and exclaimed,

"It's nothing like that!" By now a blush had creeped onto her face, but instead of embarrassment she should've been angered so she had no idea why her face was red.

The green haired woman raised an eyebrow and spoke, "Then what is it like?"

A glance up let her know that the woman was becoming impatient, "I don't really know, I can tell you that I'm prisoner here. Could you-" Elie gestured downward to the chains and shook her feet. The woman seemed to get the message but merely scoffed.

"You know who I am right? I'm your enemy. And even if I wanted to help you I wouldn't. I'd actually prefer to live, but I could kill you. By the looks of it Lucia has some plans for you he hasn't even shared with the rest of us." Wind suddenly stirred up blowing her hair back and chilling her neck. "I promise it'll be over quick," Elie watched in horror as the silver snake that was around the woman's arm melted into a spear. Frozen by fear she couldn't move. _I_. _..can't move..._

"Reina!" Fire billowed suddenly overhead, the heat almost unbearable. Once the fire died out, the one whom she assumed was Reina had retreated to the other side of the room. Her dress was in tatters and her left arm's skin was bubbling. Hatred burned in Reina's eyes as they looked back and forth between her and someone behind her.

"Why are you protecting her?! Sure she has Etherion and all, but the real threat is the Rave! If you want her power can't you just kill her and take it?!" The person of course turned out to be Lucia, he looked furious. The flames had come from a deadly looking blade he held. As he stepped forward she scrambled out of the way in hope to be unnoticed in this fight among 'comrades'.

"Reina," Lucia in a frighteningly calm tone, "Why are you in my room?"

There was silence for a few minutes as Reina stared at the blonde. "Uh-Haja sent me." Was all that was said. Elie took this opportunity to try and break the chains. After all they might've weakened with all that happened. Slowly, she lifted a hand and snuck it under the bed. Biting her lip as her grip almost slipped, Elie did a quick glance to see Reina still cornered in the room.

"Don't move woman." The angered voice was back and directed as her. Shakily her eyes lifted up from the floor to see the blade resting on her cheek, barely piercing the skin.

She held up her hands in surrender and slowly backed away from the bed, crawling up to sit beside Lucia. The blonde seemed satisfied and turned his attention back to Reina. "Haja or someone else will kill her," Spoke Reina in defiance. Elie noticed that slowly the woman was inching to the window, either Lucia hadn't noticed or he just didn't care.

"I'd like to see them try, Haja has recognized me as the next leader of the Oracion Seis and the Demon Card. I see you haven't, maybe you'll do a better job on the front lines when the time comes,"

Reina stopped in her tracks and glared at Lucia, "Is that a threat?"

"Do you want it to be?" Silence. Nobody moved until Reina swiftly jumped onto the balcony and used her strange power to safely land onto the earth below. _Now to face the wrath of this big bully_ _._ She thought with a slight pout. As Elie waited to see what Lucia would do this time, she pushed herself up, wincing in pain from the encounter with Reina, and made her way to the bed. A good look at her injuries told her ankle was badly bruised, the skin already a deep purple. Her stomach felt like crap from when she was kicked but thankfully nothing was broken. And a dried line of blood was on her cheek from Lucia's sword. Speaking of Lucia where is he? A glance around told her he wasn't in the bedroom or bathroom, a long hallway that was out of her reach lay behind her, could he be in one of those rooms?

With a sigh she slumped onto the bed, the used to be soft fabric now stiff from being charred by the flames. The room smelt oddly of flowers, her nose twitched a few times as it sniffed. There was no plants in the room, maybe the wind was bringing in the scent from outside? After a few minutes of wondering, Lucia reappeared. In his hand was more of that yellow stuff she'd decided was lemonade mix. Elie wanted to say something like, 'why couldn't they make lemonade with real lemons for once?', but since Lucia looked pissed she kept her mouth shut. The man's movements were jerky as he made the drink, most likely spilling the mix.

Her eyes were glued to the floor, watching Lucia's footsteps as he approached, crunching against the pieces of wood from the bedframe-which had practically exploded when idiot Lucia attacked Reina. "Drink," The glass was shoved in her direction, she locked eyes with Lucia for a moment. He glared at her before finding something else that was more interesting to look at. She knew should shouldn't drink the lemonade, for every time she did she would black out and not wake up till late afternoon.

"What's in it?" She asked, nodding in the direction of the cup.

"Just," In a flash, Lucia's free hand was on her face, squeezing her cheeks together and forcing down her jaw. "Drink it." The liquid that filled her mouth was enough to distract her from the pain.

"What are you doing?" She mumbled in surprise. The man didn't answer but roughly shut her mouth and waited for her to swallow. Her tastebuds tingled with the flavor, a little bit trickled down her throat causing her to cough. But since Lucia still held her mouth shut it was either choke or swallow. Shooting a pained glare at the blonde she gulped and digested the liquid. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead as the world blurred, and the last thing she saw was the smirk of the man who was staring her down through slitted eyes, as she fell back onto the bed in a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

As expected, Technotia had been a trap. It had been four days the gang had traveled in the airship overseas and to the town where a possible threat lay in wait. At the town the citizens were being held hostages-rescued afterwards-and their opponents were two Dark Bring users along with at least fifty Demon Card soldiers. They were defeated...not so easily. Haru and Let were the first ones out, he was fighting beside Plue and finished the soldiers up-of course it took forever to convince them to let him come. A Dark Bring user snuck up behind him and knocked him down and stood towering over him. Just when he thought he was gonna die, Haru suddenly "revived" and killed him off. Now Musica stood blood leaking through his shirt from his previous wounds in Symphonia. Dirt stinged his more recent cuts and I fought the urge to attempt to wipe it out, he knew it'd only make it worse. For the most part of it, everybody was okay. Haru and Let were a few feet away passed out from exhaustion, and the little guys other than Plue had decided to stay on the ship.

Slowly he walked over to the two unconscious men and picked up Haru-the lighter one-and threw him in the air, causing him to land slung over his back. Now Let...The Dragon Warrior had drool dripping down his face and was lying all crumpled up, with a huff Musica gripped one of Let's arm and began to drag him. He glared down at Let, _this guy weighs a freakin ton!_ At least a half hour later, he arrived back at the airship and delivered the bad news. At least his crew hadn't gotten their hopes up too high, most of them suspected it was a trap anyways. With a sigh I plopped down onto a chair and scratched a freshly bandaged arm. He was upset though, those bastards have Elie and they keep leading us along! His mouth formed a scowl, _when I find Lucia, I'm gonna beat him into a bloody pulp!_

"Hey Musica!" His brown eyes flickered over to a familiar voice, Haru was limping over to him, Plue hung on the boy's shoulder. _If Haru doesn't do it first that is._

He waved in response, "Hey! How you feeling?"

Haru paused and thought about it for a second, "A bit sore, but other than that pretty good, you?"

"Pretty much the same," He answered. It was awkward silence for a bit until I asked, "So where next? This place was a waste of time, if we keep hitting their bases we'll just be-" _Wasting time. We don't even know if Elie's still alive._ Of course he would never say that, but it's the hard truth, it's been at least a week since Elie's kidnapping. She could be dead...or worse. He shuddered at the thought of it.

"I know." Haru snapped cutting him off, but then continued with a sigh, "I-, I don't know what else to do, maybe somebody will talk." He shrugged and stared out the window.

"Maybe…"

 **Reina's POV**

I stalked down the halls of the Demon Card HQ. That bastard! What the hell is he thinking?! Taking advantage of his authority like that?! She was still riled up from the encounter with Lucia last night and she intended to speak with Haja, he's the only person who could ever do something about it.

She bursted through the doors and into the map room, blowing a few papers onto the floor. Her angry emerald eyes searched the room until finding the hunched figure of Haja sitting at a desk in the corner. The old man glance up at her with bored eyes before looking back down. "Haja! The Etherion girl is here! In HQ!" She exclaimed. At this, Haja froze then slowly looked up.

"What did you say? _Here_?" Haja now jumped to his feet and picked up his staff preparing for an attack.

Her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "She won't _attack_ us! That idiot Lucia somehow has her wrapped around his finger! She's here as his _guest!"_

Haja's grip around his staff faltered and he almost dropped it, " _What?_ That girl has the power to end the world, she is to be killed!"

She nodded in agreement, "I found out yesterday and tried to do that! But he wouldn't let me! He threatened to send me to the front lines where all those disposable pawns are!" She said in disgust. Haja glanced at the floor as if considering something, then he said,

"He _is_ the leader all though. We can't have a say in what he does or doesn't do, I _do_ want to know why he hasn't killed her yet." _So he's not going to do anything about it?_ She thought in anger.

"But-"

Haja glared at her, "No buts. Lucia acts like a child sometimes but he is our leader, don't question his actions if you want to keep your life Reina. I'm off to see him now, you're welcome to come," She watched from her spot as the old man walked out of the door and let it slam behind him. _Damn!_ While biting her lip, she flipped around sliding her hand on the cluttered table sending the objects crashing to the floor.

" _Damn."_ Without a second thought, she ran over the mess and out the door, just in time to see Haja disappear up the stairs. Her heels clicked as she increased her speed, finally arriving at the stairs and taking them two at a time, that old man was fast. A few minutes she had made it to the top, Lucia's room was the third door down and it was already open, the light spilling out into the dark hallway. She quietly approached it and put her ear against the door. Two voice spoke rather loudly,

"Why haven't you killed the girl yet?" That was Haja,

"I don't have to answer to you old man," Replied the cocky voice known as Lucia, "And Reina, it's not nice to eavesdrop." I froze, should I run? No he already knows I'm here it'd be pointless. Hesitantly, she stood and pushed the door open all the way to reveal three people. Haja stood by the bed his staff held up pointing at the Etherion girl who was in front of Lucia. The pair stood more towards the balcony, one of Lucia's arm was wrapped around the Etherion girl's neck holding her closely to Lucia. Her brows slightly went up, the cause of this was something in Lucia's eyes; the look he gave off was almost, _possessive._ That along with the daily murderous aura he has. "This an order, Haja, under no circumstances should you or any of the Oracion Seis come into my room, _or_ threaten this woman." She pursed her lips and waited for Haja's response, but the older man stayed silent. Lucia shot Haja a deadly glare and asked, "Is that _clear_?"

"Yes. I'll let everyone else know." This answer was immediate, but quiet. Reina gave Haja a questioning glance that hopefully would look like, 'why are you nervous?' The old man put his staff back down and turned on his heel to walk towards her. As he passed Haja muttered, "Come," I stood for a moment looking over my shoulder at Lucia who gave me a smirk which irritated me even more. _Damn kid._ Reina stiffly walked out feeling defeated. She found Haja leaning against a wall most likely waiting for her.

Her brows furrowed and she approached the man, "Why didn't you say more?! He might've listened if you actually put up a fight!" She shouted.

Haja looked at her tiredly, "No he wouldn't have, he was different today, seemingly more agitated. I feel if I had angered him more he would've killed me on the spot."

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Kill you? He's having that bad of a day?"

"The old man nodded pushing off of the wall and began to walk towards the stairs, "Apparently so, remember my advice back in the map room? I would take it, that is if you value your life." Reina stopped walking, of course I value my life, what a stupid thing to say. She brushed a stray piece of green hair over her shoulder and started towards the stairs without looking back. Hopefully that Rave Master will come and beat some sense into Lucia so I don't have to do it myself. I chuckled, and that'll be the day.


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N Bit of a short chapter but hope you like it! And thanks for all of the reviews** **The gangsta of love!** **Appreciate the feedback XD!)**

She watched as both Haja and Reina left, Reina clearly furious. As she stood with Lucia's arm draped around her neck-it'd been a way to shield her from Haja if he ever attacked-it felt wrong. Sure he was her captor that was something she could never forget, but there was something suspicious going on here. **A** , we were at the Demon Card's HQ, and **B** , he got all angry and stuff when she mentioned Haru coming to save her. Elie wondered if the pair had met in battle as _enemies_ at one point, if so that'd make Lucia her enemy too. Slowly, Elie lifted up the muscular arm from around her neck and slunk forward away from the man. When she did this, she heard Lucia scoff behind her and say, "What, feel uncomfortable?"

Elie froze and turned around to meet his eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was get him angry, hopefully she hadn't done that. The slitted golden eyes were almost laughing at her, she relaxed a little bit as she realize his harsh tone before had been a joke. "It's not that," She responded while glancing around the room. When a snide comment didn't come after her answer she walked over to the bed and plopped down on it, pulling a good length of the chains up to make it comfy on her feet. And _just_ as she closed her eyes a voice snapped cutting through the silence,

"Then _what_ is it?" With a sigh, Elie opened her eyes to see Lucia glaring at her; great, now he really was mad.

Reluctantly, Elie pushed herself off of the bed and moved to leaned against the bottom of the bed, it's newly fixed wood creaked at the sudden weight. "I mean," She thought to find the right words, "For all I know you could be my enemy, you're keeping me _captive,_ that's not helping my concerns either!" Elie watched as Lucia's eyes flared in anger, and something else, surprise? Did she get the enemy thing _right_? Elie sat still as Lucia stalked over to her his eyes furious. A little before he arrived in front of her, a tan streak shot out by her ear and something firm gripped the back of her head pushing her forward. The world blurred for a second and when it refocused, she was face to face with Lucia, not even an inch separating their faces. Her eyes went wide and that feeling as if you have butterflies in your stomach when nervous erupted without warning making her slightly nauseous. Was he going to hurt her? She would have to find out, but he seemed more pissed today than any other.

"I could be you never know," Lucia began in a low growl, "But remember," He jerked her head in the direction of the door, "Out there people want to kill you, so I'm doing you a favor by keeping you here. Maybe one day if I'm feeling bored I'll cut those chains of yours and see if you can fly," Lucia finished gesturing to the closed balcony door.

She glared at Lucia, "You wouldn't."

The man scoffed and tilted his head, "Maybe, you can be a pest." When he said this, her eyes widened slightly as she realized something. This man had mood swings, major ones at that. A few seconds ago he just wanted to kill her and now he seemed _way_ chiller. She didn't know why she hadn't noticed before, for she had been with him for...how long? A few days….no it'd been longer. Weeks? Elie couldn't place it, either it was her memory's fault or that there was no way to keep track of time in this room other than the setting and rising of the sun.

Then she said something she didn't mean to, it slipped out, "You're a child." All though she muttered it, Lucia had keen hearing and was right in front of her.

" _What_ was that woman?" In a flash, Lucia's arm extended and sent her crashing backwards onto the bed. Her head hit the top bed frame and a small pain blossomed there, after a few seconds it went away. Elie brushed her hair to the side and sat up in the bed and looked forward expecting to see Lucia there, but instead a hand firmly gripped her wrist and jerked her up. She let out a squeak of surprise as the hand brought her to meet Lucia, his slitted eyes were void of emotion. "Don't call me a child again." Lucia flipped around releasing his hold on her and stalking over to the door.

Her own hand was still frozen in the air, her eyes lingered on the back of the man, "Y-yes." She stuttered in reply. At this point truth be told, she wasn't scared of him, it was just the fear of what was going to happen before it actually did. Like the feel before a first battle, then once it happens a few times you mostly know what to expect, so you're not as nervous. At her answer, Lucia stopped for a millisecond, his pause barely noticeable, before exiting the room letting the door slam shut behind him. When the man left, she brought her hand back and tapped her chin, Lucia was an interesting man indeed.

 **Lucia's POV**

He stalked through the halls of the Demon Card HQ, heading towards the second floor and throne room. That _woman_ , his mouth curved down into a scowl and his stopped walking long enough to kick the wall and put a hole in it. She knows just how to get on my nerves! He entered the stairwell and stiffly walked down them, _maybe that old man was right. After all I did just take that woman to get on the Rave Master's nerves._ He paused at the end of the stairs glancing back to the top, _I think she's worn out her welcome. I'll extract the Etherion later tonight and kill her as well._

* * *

His hand rested on the wooden door, it was silent inside the room. Could she already have gone to sleep? If so, that would make it easier for him. Lucia quietly pushed open his bedroom door and slunk over to the bed where a lump was. As he suspected, it was the woman. With a smirk, he unsheathed his sword and brought it over his head preparing to bring it down and stab the girl in the stomach. It'd be a slow death, long enough for him to take her power. Just as he was about to, the girl shifted in bed and mumbled something, "Haru…" His eyes widened slightly, flaring in fury. _So...she still dreams about the Rave Master._ He thought in anger. _Maybe I'll put off her death long enough to make her mine._ With this thought in mind, he leaned down, brushing aside a stray piece of brown hair on the woman's face and gently moving her face so that it was facing up. Then he pressed his lips to hers in a moments kiss. Part of him wished she awakened, just to see that look on her face. The other half of him, not so much. When he pulled away he sheathed his sword and wiped his mouth with a finger. There was something he couldn't believe; he was actually getting _attached_ to this woman. If she started to make him go soft _sure_ he'd kill her, but this was unlike him, to get attached. Lucia headed back towards the door, he wasn't feeling tired and felt even if he was he wouldn't be able to sleep. So instead he decided to busy himself with work till sunrise.


	7. Chapter 7

Elie cracked open her eyes to find it midday. The sun must've woke her. She sluggishly sat up looking around the room, on a desk in a corner towards the door sat her breakfast as always; but this time except of water it was that lemonade. Her nose crinkled in disgust, she didn't want to drink it but she knew if she didn't Lucia would find a way to shove it down her throat one way or another. Don't get me wrong the lemonade was delicious, it seemed fishy though. Lately she stopped passing out after she drank it, instead she'd get dizzy. By now she was fully awake, sometime during the middle of the night the balcony doors must've blown open and it was chilly in the room. Elie hesitantly stood, her bare feet touched the cold floor sending shivers up her spine. She bit her lip and bolted over to the doors slamming them shut the curtains blowing in the sudden wind. Elie lingered at the doors staring out into the land. As far as she could see it was forest, then _maybe_ there was a desert. If she ever did leave here she would have to bring lots of water in case there really was one.

She turned to face the table and gently picked up the glass of lemonade, only to tighten her grasp as she almost dropped it. She looked closer at the glass and saw small droplets of moisture forming on the sides, a sign the cup had been there for a while. Before she could talk herself out of it, she brought the glass to her lips and tipped it upside-down. Her eyes drooped as the lemonade washed over her tongue, it's flavor exploding on her tastebuds, then she swallowed it in one gulp. Elie slowly set the cup down and gripped the table's side as a wave of dizziness hit her. Her lips pursed in pain and eyes squeezed shut, if they weren't she probably would've fell over. About thirty seconds passed and the dizziness left, only leaving her with a pounding headache. She stumbled forward, knocking over the apple on the table, each step made her headache worse. Elie muttered a curse or two and slid down against the wall. "Guess I'll wait till the headache goes away…" She whispered.

As she sat there, she felt...safer. Before, or whenever, she was a little on edge. This place seemed like a castle, lots of place to explore. Elie twirled a piece of her brown hair and thought back to before she came here, she was with somebody but the face was murky. Was it Lucia? Eh, that guy doesn't really seem like the type to go on an adventure trip for fun. But you never know...As Elie sat there lost in her thoughts, the door suddenly slammed open making her jump. Her brown eyes flickered up to the the bulky figure of Lucia in his usual dress up. The man seemed to be angered by something, she could tell by his jerky movements. "Hey," She said standing up. Lucia froze, his head cocked to the side and he met her eyes.

" _Hey_?"

She nodded pushing off of the wall, "Yeah, it's a greeting if you didn't know that. It'd be polite to reply." Lucia's eyes went from her and the desk and back, something he saw must've made him relax the slightest. "So what's up?" She asked in a bored tone.

Lucia scoffed, "It sounds like you wouldn't really care anyways," Elie shrugged and answered,

"Never know, spill." The man glared at her for a good minute before saying,

"An enemy of mine has been attacking more of my bases, and getting closer to here." Her brows scrunched up in confusion,

"Who is he and what does he want?" She watched as Lucia hesitated before answering, almost as if he was pondering over what to say,

"His name is Haru Glory, currently he's the Rave Master. As for what he wants, he intends to kidnap you," Lucia stared into her eyes, like he was waiting for something.

Elie took a step back her eyes widening slightly, "Why would he want me? I'm a nobody!"

Lucia gave her a cruel smile, "That's not true, you have a power that can end the world called Etherion. He and his band of friends think you're too powerful, they want to kill you and take the power for themselves." **(A/N Her memory loss is gone back to the point where she hasn't learned she has Etherion yet so this is where she "learns" she has it)**

"E-Etherion?" She stuttered. _That's impossible!_ Elie took in a sharp breath in an attempt to regain her composure. "And...what do _you_ intend to do with me?"

Lucia replied a little too quickly,, "Nothing of course, I'll kill off the Rave Master and then we won't-" _Kill Rave Master._

Elie's eyes glazed over and she suddenly snapped forward shouting, " _No_!" She blinked, realizing that she'd shouted and brought her hand back to her side and met Lucia's eyes, "Sorry…" The man was glaring at her suspiciously, his eyes in slits. Elie bit her lip and stared at the floor where the chains laid, they clinked as she shifted her position.

"It's fine." Lucia said stiffly. _Is it?_ It was almost as if her body moved on it's own, even she was shocked at was she did next. She leaned forward bringing a hand up, and set it on Lucia's head giving him a noogie. The man's hair was soft in some parts, while dry in other. Either it's normally that way or doesn't do a good job washing it. A nervous smile grew on her face as she felt Lucia grow deadly still underneath her hand.

"Cheer up! You'll catch him eventually!" She managed to say the sentence without her voice cracking. But as she did, it felt a little bit like a betrayal. She shook it off and focused on the present. Just before she could take her hand away, Lucia smacked it away with his arm. The man abruptly stood and walked a good distance away, but seeing that he didn't yell or leave meant that he was getting used to her. With that thought she felt a small sense of triumph.

"Doubt that," Lucia muttered, "I don't want to _catch_ him I want to _kill_ him." Elie froze, her mouth drifted open before snapping shut.

"I see," Lucia looked over to her, his mouth curved up halfway revealing his teeth.

"What? You don't want me to?" Lucia said in a teasing tone that got on her nerves. She bit the inside of her cheek while giving the man a glare. It was true though. _Some_ part of her didn't want Lucia to kill the _enemy._ She didn't know why...and it annoyed her. With a hand Elie ran fingers through her hair and let loose a sigh, turning to pick up the apple that'd been dropped before Lucia came. She brought it to her lips and bit into it, the sweet flavor was enough to fill the hunger in her stomach.

 _ **Knock! Knock! KNOCK!**_

Three knocks sounded at the door, seemingly impatient. Elie wiped the juice from her chin and watched as Lucia sighed, walked over to the door and flung it open. Standing in the doorway was a giant blue...man? To sum it up he didn't look human. Two horns grew out of his head, diamond shape rocks-maybe same material as the horn-were embedded between the horns, he had pointy ears which had a pair of silver earrings hanging from them, and a little bat-thing hovered over his shoulder. "Berial, what do you want?" Lucia snapped.

Berial shrugged as he glanced in the room, "Just wondering if you've seen Reina. That bitch wanted to fight with anything that came into sight since you didn't get rid of that little missy in there. I'm just granting her request."

Lucia scoffed and moved to block Berial's view of the room, "She's not in here, I would check if she's flirting with Jaegan again. Unless if you have some other business with me,"

Berial smiled and said, "Nope! Just looking for that bitch! I'll be on my way," As Berial went to leave, his eyes met hers for a second, the lively ones that'd been talking to Lucia a moment ago were gone. They now where emotionless and full of danger, Berial blinked and his face disappeared as he passed by the doorway.

But what they _didn't_ notice, was a shadow balancing on the balconies edge. The shadow waited as the people inside conversed for a few more moments, then it grew silent. In fear of being discovered, the shadow jumped off of the balcony, using the silver to slow the fall. She had seen it all, _somehow_ , Lucia was taking away the girl's memories. And in doing so, the girl was becoming more dependent on Lucia. To top it off she doesn't even remember the Rave Master! And he even let the girl touch his hair! He was growing _soft!_ Reina bit her lip as thought of what to do, even though it'd get her killed if she was found out. She would give the Rave Master the location of the new Demon Card HQ, so then he could take the girl back with him and we can get back on track with our _main_ goal; finding all of the Dark Brings.

 **(A/N Finished this chapter! XD, hmm was it a bit confusing when she lost more of her memory? Thanks for reading! Probably will update soon since I'm in a Rave Master mood haha)**


	8. Chapter 8

Haru's eyes skimmed over the trees, currently Hebi was navigating the airship west. They would arrive in a small town called Glarona, restock, and be on their way. As he took a step forward, a deafening thump echoed throughout the airship, his eyes went wide and he gripped a railing as it started to rock violently side to side. A few seconds later, it was over as soon as it started. "Haru!" His eyes flickered up from the floor and he spotted a winded Musica at the base of the stairs. "Any idea what the hell that was?" He shook his head no and unsheathed his sword, walking to Musica's side.

"But whatever it was, it couldn't have been good."

"Yeah, I think it came-" Haru winced as feedback suddenly blared in the room, he took a sideways glance at Musica who was focused on the speakers. Moments later, a voice spoke,

"Hey Haru…" His eyes narrowed, that was Hebi. And he didn't sound too good either. "Somebody's up here and wants to see you, come alone or I'm dead." Haru swore under his breath and started up the stairs, closely followed by Musica.

"What are you doing? You heard what Hebi said!" He called over his shoulder.

"I'll wait outside and step in if you need help all right!? He is my crew member after all!" Musica replied. 

He scoffed, "We'll see about that." They arrived at the top in a few minutes, he brought a finger to his lip as a sign to be quiet then pointed to Musica. The man nodded and stood off to the side where he would be hidden when he went in the room. Haru adjusted his grip on his sword, and with a deep breath he kicked the door down. Just before he entered the room he saw Musica wince, most likely for he had just-and more to come-damaged his ship. Haru's eyes flittered around the room examining the damage; a glass window panel was shattered, a control panel was smoking, two crewmen lay unconscious on the other side of the room.

"Thanks for finally joining us," He froze. That voice...Haru moved his head to the side to confirm it. Reina stood by a window, Hebi in front her. Reina's silver was a snake form, it's fangs resting on Hebi's throat prepared to chomp down and kill him.

"Reina. What are you doing here?" He asked in a deadly calm tone.

The woman slowly pushed her hair over her shoulder and eyed him, "First I want your word that you won't hurt me during my time here."

He laughed half-heartedly, "And what makes you think I'd do that? You hurt those guys over there and are threatening Hebi,"

Reina pursed her lips, in a swift motion she retracted her silver so that it was once again wrapped around her upper arm, pushed Hebi away, and took a step forward, "Because, I have information on the Etherion girl." Elie? The grip around Eisenmeteor faltered and for the first time it felt heavy.

Haru glared at Reina and said with a snarl, "How do I know you're not lying?"

The woman smiled and replied, "Why would I? She's become a pest and it's gotten to the point where I have to come "begging" to my enemy to get rid of her. I'll give you her location and whatever else you want on her just," Reina's tone became frustrated. "Come and get her. Maybe even knock some sense into Lucia while you're at it. But by no means do I want my name mentioned!" She snapped the last part. Haru's eyes widened. This was really happening! He felt Reina wasn't lying, and since she was gonna tell the truth, he would get Elie back!

"Musica! It's okay you can come out now!" He shouted over his shoulder.

"Musica?" Reina muttered. He watched as the Silver Claimer slunk out from his hiding spot his eyes in slits, fixated on Reina.

He opened his mouth to explain but Musica held up a hand to stop him. "No need, I heard the whole thing, how do you know she's not lying?"

Haru glanced at Reina who scoffed and was about to yell at this comment, "I feel it, now Reina, how's Elie?" He asked cutting off the woman's rant on Musica.

Reina bit her lip opened her mouth, "Health-wise, she's perfect. Aside from a few bruises that is."

"Health-wise?" Questioned Musica.

Reina sighed. "I was getting to that, mentally, she's not doing too well. Lucia's been giving her something that makes her forget. It's been about three weeks I would say since she was kidnapped and he gives it to her daily. It slowly erases her memory of you guys, only leaving her more recent ones with Lucia. I overheard him telling the girl that people are coming to the headquarters and are going to try and kill her, technically what the Oracion Seis has been trying to do. You are those people. I can't say that she remembers any of you at this point or will have a positive reaction upon seeing you." His shaking hands slowly curled into fists. Elie...doesn't remember me?

"That…" He whispered, "That...damn bastard!" Haru flipped his head up and faced Reina, reaching forward to grab her by her shoulders. "Why didn't you stop him?! You came here so that means something!"

"Haru!" Musica shouted and attempted to get him to release his grip. It didn't work, his fingers digging into the woman's skin was probably painful, yet she didn't stop him.

Reina faced him with angry eyes, "You think I wanted her at HQ?! I tried to kill her first chance I got, but Lucia stopped me! He doesn't want anyone near her! Keeps her locked up inside his room 24/7, only way I found about the memory loss was because I spied through the balcony!" His grasp on Reina's shoulders loosened the slightest and he shot the woman a questioning look,

"She's locked up in his room?" Musica seemed to be along the lines of what he was thinking after he spoke and stopped trying to get him to let go of Reina.

Reina scoffed and said, "Don't worry, the girl herself said he's done nothing to her." He relaxed the slightest.

"You never told us where your HQ is," He said in a hardened tone.

"Oh that! Thanks for reminding me probably would've forgotten." Reina said as she pushed his hands off of her. "I assume you're heading west?" He nodded. "It'll take you about one-two weeks maybe even less if you hurry. Head north, when you hit a desert you know you're close. After the desert is a forest that surrounds the HQ."

"Wait," He began, "If it's gonna take us a week or two how'd you get here so fast?"

Reina winked at him and waltzed over to the broken window, "I have my way boys, now if you'll excuse me, I best be back before anyone suspects anything." A sudden wind stirred up and he held up an arm to protect his face from the glass shards that were being blown around. When the wind died down, Reina had disappeared with it.

Next to him Musica sighed and rubbed his cheeks. "All right, we have a lead, finally. Hebi," The man pointed to his second-in-command who had been hiding behind a table during the encounter, "Set a course for due north! We're on our way to save Elie!"

Haru smiled and nodded in agreement. "All right! That's good news!" He looked out the window and into the sky; Elie…just hold on a little bit longer.


	9. Chapter 9

_The casino smelled strongly of tobacco and sweat; people chattered being complete strangers, but the gambling business brought them together. She glanced down at the cards in her hand, a royal flush, and she didn't even cheat this time. She smirked and waited for the time to reveal her hand when something bumped her underneath the table. She glanced down in confusion only to freeze. A head had somehow popped up between her legs and sat unmoving. It was a boy from she could tell, only thing she see about him was that he had silver hair. Her eyebrow twitched and on instinct, her leg flung out kicking whoever it was in the gut._

 _"Something wrong miss?" The dealer questioned. Her eyes flickered up and met the older man's. The other players at the table glanced at her in annoyance._

 _"No no...nothing's wrong!" She waved her hands in front of her and spoke with a smile. As the other players were distracted, she shot a glare down at the man who had begun to try and get out another way. Causally, she lifted up a foot and stomped on the boy's pant leg. I'll deal with him later...I want my money first. Underneath her hold she felt the boy struggle, and just as she was about to reveal her flush, the boy gave one strong tug that sent her flying backwards. Her eyes widened in surprise as her cards went flying in the air. She regained her balance, ignoring the questions of concern from the nearby people and zeroed in on the boy who was about a foot away, his eyes searching the floor. Anger flooded her veins and she jumped to her feet, marching over to the stranger and harshly poking him in the side, "Hey! What's your deal mister?" The boy turned to face her...and a flash of white light._

Elie opened her eyes to find herself face first in a book. She must've fallen asleep while reading it, she lifted her head up and massaged her numb chin hoping to get the blood flowing once again. It was probably around tenish or so at night, the sun had set and the moon had already rose above the mountains. She thought back to that dream she'd just had...it had been so vivid. But as far as she could remember she hadn't been in any casino's. And that boy, she bit her lip as she slowly stood, pervert. It was silent in the room until a voice suddenly shouted,

"I don't care! If she's a traitor we might as well kill her!" Elie straightened her back, that was Lucia.

"Yes but we don't know that for sure! Let's wait till she comes back and not be the act first ask questions later type!" That was the old man Haja.

The footsteps stopped outside the door and Lucia shouted in response, "Do whatever you want old man, but when she stabs you in the back don't come crying to me!"

" _Lucia_!" Haja called out, but Lucia ignored him as he flung open the door and slammed it shut, hard enough to make a nearby picture vibrate on the wall. She watched from across the room as Lucia stalked down that hallway where he'd gotten the new supply of lemonade from before, he disappeared into one of the doors shutting it with tremendous force. Elie bit her lip and glanced back between the hallway and door, whatever they were talking about, it had both of them pissed.

Elie moved herself to sit against the balconies door, her book in hand. It was a pretty boring one, no wonder she'd fallen asleep. The story outline was there was a woman who lived in a palace, the girl's mother was being influenced by her advisors and was about to marry the girl off to the advisor's son when a guard helped sneak the girl away and to a neighboring country where they would be hiding. And of course the girl fell in love with the guard, they defeated the advisor and his army blah blah blah. Her eyes skimmed over the words on the page, only picking up the most important ones. Next page, she was at the part where they arrived at the country where they'd be hiding...nothing special. This author had really bad descriptive language. Elie tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear that'd been tickling her cheek. She sat there reading for at least an hour or two, by then the tips of her fingers were dry from turning so many pages.

With a sigh, Elie closed the book and licked her fingers, wetting the dry skin with her saliva. And just as she did so, a door closed. Her brown eyes flickered up and saw the approaching figure of Lucia. _Hopefully_ _he's calmed down_ …"So…" She began carefully, "What was that all about?"

Lucia looked at her out of the corner of his eye and answered in an emotionless tone, "I believe there's a traitor here." The man paused and raised an eyebrow a smirk growing on his face, "Most likely giving info out to the people who want to kill you."

Elie pursed her lips, "That must suck, after all you're probably friends with him, or her." She added on quickly.

When she said this, Lucia looked taken aback. The man opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then shut it, his eyes looked her over before he scoffed. A sound she was familiar with by now. "What makes you think I'm _friends_ with anyone? Those people are all idiots, taking orders and never questioning them." The man's tone became cold as he spoke his next sentence, "Makes you wonder if you told them to kill themselves would they follow through with it," Her eyes widened slightly, the stuff he says, it's almost as if he doesn't have any emotions at all. But he's human so he must have some.

Her eyes wandered around the room as she asked, "I've probably asked this before but, did we hang out together before I came here? Talking like this seems familiar." She thought about it for a second then chuckled and added on, "Nah probably wasn't with you, no offense but you don't really seem the type to talk like this with." As Elie said this, she was oblivious to how this affected Lucia. Sure the man seemed to tense, but he always looked that way so she could never tell.

"You," Her eyes met Lucia's, there was a glint in his eyes...and did they look somehow playful? "Come here," She froze, her hand gripping the desk. Clearly what she had said had angered him in some way...but if she didn't come to him, he would come to her. She slowly walked forward and towards the man.

"What?" She asked in a quiet voice. What happened next even her eyes couldn't follow the movement. Lucia's arm snapped forward and placed itself on her back, pulling her into him. A rough hand lifted her chin up and she saw the smirk of the man in front of her, then, Lucia _kissed_ her. Elie stood frozen. This was her first kiss and-she relaxed, the tension in her shoulders faded away. _His lips are surprisingly soft_...Elie didn't return the kiss, nor did she try and pull away. The reason for this was kissing him, felt strangely familiar. The next two minutes passed as Lucia stole kisses from her, developing deeper as time went by, until he pulled away, a hand lingering on her cheek. By now her was face a dark shade of pink, Lucia though was still smirking as if it meant nothing to him. Elie brought a hand to her mouth and wiped it off, and shifted on her feet.

She watched as Lucia leaned down and whispered in her ear, "That's a reminder of who you belong to, do me a favor and don't mention anything concerning that subject again. Your past doesn't matter." Her eyes narrowed, _my past doesn't matter? And what subject?_ She nodded as if she understood what he was saying. "Good, I'm off to bed. If you're going to be up be quiet so I can sleep," Lucia snapped as he dropped his hand. Elie's eyes followed Lucia as he went to his side of the bed and began to undress. She had noticed it this time, he had a mood swing. Cocky one second annoyed the next. She turned her attention away from Lucia and walked to the desk, pulling the chair towards her and sitting in it. She didn't know if she'd be able to sleep tonight, her mind was jumbled...her heart was all, icky. Elie leaned forward and placed her head in her hands, taking a sideways glance at Lucia who was a lump under the blankets. _And it's all his fault..._ she scrunched her nose up and itched her head. _Why do men act like this?!_

Elie sighed, standing up and pushing the chair in. Even if she couldn't sleep it'd be good to try to. As she approached the bed, she became more aware of all the reasons of why she shouldn't be sleeping in the same bed as Lucia. **A** , he's dude and she's a girl, and we're not in any relationship. Her cheeks tinted pink as she remember the kiss...or at least I _think_. **B**...Elie bit her lip. This isn't good, that's the only reason I can think of. Hesitantly, Elie pulled back the sheets and crawled under. Surprisingly it was warm, Elie glanced over at the still figure of Lucia and thought, _is this his body heat?_ She snuggled further under the blankets, getting comfier. And slowly, she drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N This chapter changes POV's a bit, hope you enjoy it!)**

Haru sighed, his breath fog in the early morning light. "Haru-poyo," His eyes flickered down to the penguin-like boy who stood beside him. "I heard from Musica Reina attacked yesterday…poyo."

He nodded, shifting on his feet, "Yup, she didn't really attack though, her appearance was helpful," Haru added on under his breath, "For once." Ruby mumbled something quietly, he could tell he was uncomfortable. A knock on the glass doors sounded behind him, Haru slowly twisted his head around to see Hebi and Let standing inside. The men waved at him to come in, the second-in-command shook his hand, a rolled up paper in his grasp. "Come on," He tapped Ruby on his shoulder getting his attention and brought the boy inside.

Once they were in, Let said, "Hebi thought you'd wanna see the map he drew. It's the quickest route we know of so far." He stood to his full height and gave the two men a tight smile,

"Why not?"

In a swift motion, Hebi had unrolled the map and smoothed it out on the floor. He kneeled down and found a little circle, probably was them. "Alright so we're here," Hebi pointed to the circle. "And this is the route we're taking," The man dragged his finger along a blue crooked line, it ran through a mountain range and eventually it thinned out into a desert. Next to the line were two other ones going a large distance away from the blue one. "And these," Hebi motioned to the other lines, "Are backup routes I made in case our main one got blocked off. It'll take a few days extra but we should still be able to get there no matter what."

"Great!" He said as he took another minute to examine the map. After a few seconds something occurred to him, "Hebi, you've been working on repairing the control room all night, get some sleep, pretty sure no one would mind." Hebi's head looked up in his direction, the man's eyes hidden behind his glasses.

"You sure Haru? There's still some work to be done…" This time Let laid a hand on the man a little too forcefully steering him out of the room.

"We're sure Hebi. Thank you for all of your work." The dragon warrior said gruffly.

"Well if you're so sure-" He watched with a smile as Hebi didn't get another word in as Let shoved him forward and out of sight.

"Be easier next time-poyo," Commented Ruby. Let looked over his shoulder and scoffed, the man met his eyes and it looked as if he wanted to say something, but he turned back around and followed Hebi out of the exit.

Haru's brows scrunched up in confusion, "What's that about?" He muttered.

Ruby looked up at him, "What's what about-poyo?" His mouth drifted open, when no words formed he patted Ruby on the head and headed towards the exit himself. Before he left he turned back and said with a smile,

"It's nothing Ruby! I'm gonna head back to bed, remind me to let Musica know to let Hebi sleep for a bit alright?" Ruby grunted, shaking his head up and down once. "Great, see you in a bit," As he turned he thought, _Now to find Let. Apparently I've gotten on his bad side again._ Haru's purplish eyes flickered up in the darkened hallway. _But about what exactly?_

 **Reina's POV**

"Ready to talk yet?" Her emerald eyes glared at the floor, not bothering to look up. The voice continued to speak, "You know, I was against this. In my opinion we should've heard you out _without_ the shackles, but Lucia didn't want to hear it."

Reina lifted up her head to see Julius; the man sat on a stool outside her cell admiring himself in a mirror. Her mouth curved downwards into a scowl, "I'm sick of your face, get lost already would you?"

At her insult, Julius froze. Then he flipped around gripping the mirror so hard the handle cracked. " _What_ was that? Do I have to teach you a _lesson_ on how _beautiful_ this face _is_?" She smirked as she spotted his hand twitching towards the hilt of his sword.

Reina shrugged, "I've already heard it the past few years I've been here. If I'm to be killed I'd like to know, because if that's the case I'd like to spend my last few moments in _peace."_ Julius snapped forward seething in anger, pressing himself against the bars of the cell.

"Why you little-"

"Bitch?" She finished, an eyebrow raised. Reina heard Julius suck in a breath, his hand touched his sword and unsheathed it slightly before pushing it back in. The man sighed and looked at her out of the corner of his eye,

"I have a feeling you had a trick up your sleeve by me attacking you, I'm not going to grant your wish." Reina pursed her lips and watched as Julius walked over to the stairwell, "As you wished, I'll ask about your execution-if there is to be one that is." The man waved goodbye and disappeared up the stairs, leaving her once again alone.

"Damn." She cast a dark glance at the corner, in the silence, the events of how she ended up here came back;

 _She arrived back at HQ a few moments ago, the guards that were usually stationed by the bridge out front were missing, her gut told her something was up. Slowly, Reina crept around a corner, her eyes narrowed as she saw the guards posted at the stairwell were missing as well. "Looking for something?" A sudden voice spoke out of nowhere. Reina flipped out, arming herself with her silver and melting it into a spear. She zeroed in on the person to find it was only...Lucia. He was leaning against a pole his arms folded, head tilted to the side and mouth curved halfway into a smirk._

 _Silently she let loose a sigh, Reina moved the spear so it was once again a snake and resting on her upper arm, then said, "It's just you, where's all the guards?"_

 _Lucia pushed off of the wall and slowly started to walk over to her, then began to circle her as her walked, almost examining her to see how easy she'd be to take down. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead and she gulped, this situation wasn't looking too good. Could he have found out about her visit to the Rave Master? Impossible, she wasn't even gone for three hours, and since when does he pay attention to where his subordinates are? "Where have you been, Reina?" Lucia stopped behind her and spoke._

 _Her mouth opened, her throat suddenly became dry, but she would have to think up a good reason if Lucia was to believe it. "It's none of you business." Reina snapped and attempted to push past him, only for him to grab her wrist._

" _Well in fact it is," Began Lucia in an calm sort of tone, "When I suspect a member of the Oracion Seis is a traitor."_ Shit! _Her eyes widened slightly but she tried to hide her shock. All though I think Lucia noticed that she had a reaction. The man smiled evilly and said, "Of course to help out with the investigation, you'll be kept in the cells until further notice." Reina scoffed and tried to break free of the grip, but Lucia's hand swiftly came up and hit the back of her head. A quick pain spread there, knocking her out._

A sour taste grew in her mouth at the memory, she couldn't believe she had been captured that easily! Of course Lucia didn't say he suspected _her_ to be the traitor, but nobody else is locked up and it can't be a coincidence that this happened right after her returning from the Rave Master. She just hoped somehow it wasn't her.

 **Elie's POV**

Elie awoke as always, towards late afternoon. I _think_ , before I came here at least, something or someone would wake me, but without an alarm I'm not a morning person. Her dry eyes flittered over to the balcony where sunlight streamed in, dust floating in the beams. As she tried to sit up, she realized something was holding her back. At first she thought she was wrapped up in the blanket but that wasn't it. Still groggy from sleep, Elie investigated what it was. First she found something was _curled_ around her waist, then a thing was pressed up against her back preventing her from turning around, her feet were tangled together also. And whatever it was emitting a _lot_ of heat. _What is this..._ Slowly, Elie twisted her neck around only to stop. Messy, blonde, hair coated the pillow next to her; the owner of it, Lucia. Her eyes widened, _what was he doing so close?!_ Elie took a quick glance to her right and saw that _she_ had rolled over, the other half of the bed was crinkled sheets nothing more. The arm around her waist was heavy, and to make it worse it prevented her from escaping the grasp. A blush creeped onto her face as she attempted to lift the dead weight without waking the man, but...his arm was just too freakin heavy! With more trial and errors, she eventually gave up and decided to just accept that she'd be stuck here until Lucia woke up. Elie turned onto her side so that so was facing away from Lucia, all though she still felt his hot breath on her neck and the pricks of his skin against hers in some parts. Since it was usually the time she got up, Elie couldn't fall back asleep. Her eyes searched the room trying to find something entertaining to look at but the walls were as boring as can be at this moment. She tensed as the arm shifted, hopefully to move off her, but it was only Lucia yawning in his sleep. Elie chuckled to herself, feeling quite nervous all of a sudden. _Lucia's in for a surprise when he wakes up. That is,_ Elie thought back to the man's recent behavior with him becoming more possessive towards her, _if it isn't what he wanted in the first place._ She wouldn't mind that, even though he kept her here he didn't lock her up in some cell with nobody to talk to. And to him, she was grateful for that. Her eyes drifted shut, when all of a sudden,

 _ **Elie!**_

Elie's eyes snapped open, wildly looking around. A voice had just shouted her name, but...there was no one else in the room except for her and Lucia. And that wasn't Lucia's voice, or anybody she knew, it sounded desperate. Her heart pounded in her chest and she glanced down at Lucia, it didn't look like he'd heard it all though it was screamed, the voice was hoarse. It was male, she could identity that much. Elie laughed half-heartedly, _maybe I'm losing my mind..._ As she tried to slow her heartbeat, she laid back down, resting her head against a chest. Without her realizing it, the hand around her waist twitched. It wasn't until the man spoke that she knew Lucia had woken when she had jerked the bed by sitting up.

" _What_ are you doing?"


	11. Chapter 11

Elie gulped, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. Lucia stared down at her through calculating eyes that sent a shiver up her spine. "W-what am _I_ doing? I woke up like this with you all wrapped around me!" She managed to get out only stuttering a few times.

Lucia lifted his free arm and used it to prop his head up. "If you woke first why didn't you leave?" The man smirked and ran a hand up her stomach, she resisted the urge to smack him. "Unless you didn't _want_ to that is,"

Elie scrunched up her nose and shifted slightly away, "It's not _my_ fault your stupid arm is so heavy!" Lucia scoffed and lifted his arm up, quietly she sucked in a big breath now that the weight had been lifted.

Lucia shot her a look and muttered, "It's not _that_ heavy,"

"It really is…" She mumbled. With a glance outside she saw it was pretty bright out; not that she was trying to get rid of Lucia but wouldn't he get in trouble if he was late for whatever he does? Elie pushed herself up and looked over her shoulder at the man whom was still lying in bed, "Aren't you going to be late?"

Lucia looked at her through bored eyes, "For what?"

She nodded in the direction of the door, "Whatever you do,"

Elie watched as Lucia sighed, sitting up the blankets sliding off of him revealing his bare chest. Multiple scars decorated it, along with what looked like a bad job of stitches, he was fit no doubt about that. "Someone would have gotten me, I'm going back to sleep so either join me, or leave me alone." And with that, Lucia turned around, pulling the blankets back over himself.

Elie bit the inside of her cheek her head slightly cocked to the side, "And why would I join you?"

From where he was laying the man peered over at her wearing a playful expression, "Aren't you bored sitting around all day? Sleeping is an opportunity to waste the day away, if you want to go stick your nose in that boring book of yours fine with me."

"Excuse me?" She asked in annoyance. But she couldn't really object, that book really _was_ boring. Lucia probably expects her to go read-she huffed and slid back under the sheets-well, let's see about that. Once she got comfy, a wave of drowsiness hit her. Her mouth drifted open and close, likewise for her eyes, and she couldn't fight it. She didn't need a nap, if she did it'd throw off her whole sleeping schedule for when she woke up later tonight. Indignantly, she punched the pillow and took a deep breath, hopefully she'd wake up soon.

* * *

" _Elie!" Her eyes flickered up in alarm; someone was calling out her name. Her brown eyes searched the rubble for any signs of life, but she found none._

" _You're coming with me," A rough voice growled in her ear. Her legs weakened and she stumbled before collapsing to the earth, her eyes glazing over. Spots danced at the corner of her eyes each time whoever it was took a step, before a rush of air surround her and they were walking no more._

Elie bolted upright in bed, sweat covered her forehead and she was breathing heavily. _That...that voice. That was the second time I've heard that boy yell my name._ Elie _knew_ that wasn't a memory...it couldn't be. As far as she knew her life started when she first came here with Lucia. And the more questions I ask about my past it'll only anger him more. She sighed, furiously rubbing her eyes in attempt to wake herself up. Her nightdress-which she mostly wears until she takes a shower-had creased under her arm. Elie gave it a yank straightening it out. The sun's light was not as bright as it had been when she'd fallen asleep a few hours ago, from what she could it was about an hour or two before sunset. And Lucia had left, the only sign he'd been here were the scrunched up bed sheets. Elie heaved herself out of bed, her legs swinging out and connecting with the floor beneath. The chains jingled as she walked to the balcony, gazing out the windows. She noticed, something seemed off today. The guards that were usually at the bridge below were missing, and it wasn't time for them to switch shifts yet. Elie bit her lip, glancing at the door. Fear trickled into her veins as she started to overthink it, and imagine the worst. Have the men after me already arrived? Is Lucia alright or is he...She didn't get to finish the thought as the bedroom door banged open, and time seemed to slow.

Elie flipped around, her hair blocking her way of seeing who was there, her mouth opened to shout Lucia's name but it died in her throat. "Lucia? You in here?" A cheerful voice called out. She stopped panicking and looked up at the stranger's face, he seemed oddly familiar. Black hair that was around shoulder length, dark brown eyes, the man had well-defined features. Elie relaxed, she had a feeling this man wasn't going to hurt her. The stranger's eyes searched the room before finding her silent figure, his eyes lit up and he stepped inside the room. "Ah! You must be the Etherion girl! Any idea where Lucia is?"

"Uh-when I woke he was gone,"

The man shrugged, seemingly upset and walked towards the back of a room where a cabinet lay, it blended in with the woodish wall color so she hadn't noticed it before. The stranger bended down and opened it, revealing a stack of dull colored bottles. She stretched her neck up in curiosity, "What's that?"

The man grabbed two and lifted them in the air, the bottles clinking, "Oh this? Wine, want to join me for a drink?"

Her eyebrows raised and a smile grew on her face, she hesitated for a few seconds before answering, "Why not? I feel like I haven't had one in a while!" The stranger nodded approvingly at her,

"I like you! Now, let's see how well you can hold your liquor," Her mouth twitched upwards into a smile and she walked over stealing a bottle from the man's hand.

"Let's have a contest then, first one out has to do something of the winners choice." The man tilted his head, peering at her through half-closed eyes,

"I see, well, let's get started!" Elie grunted and gripped the cork, with effort yanking it off. The pair tilted the bottles to their lips and on a silent countdown, simultaneously began to drink.

 **Luica's POV**

It was around elevenish when he made his way back to his room, the day's work finally done. He arrived at the top of the stairwell and increased his pace, hopefully that woman wouldn't be a big problem, he just wanted to sleep. As Lucia came up on his door he paused his hand wavering over the handle, his nose twitched and he sniffed again. _Liquor?_ To be more specific, wine. His eyes widened slightly in anger. _That woman! What is she up to now?!_ Without another thought, he bursted open the door and stalked into the room, his narrowed eyes running over the furniture looking for the girl.

"I win!" Lucia snapped his head around at the sound of a male's sluggish voice. One that he recognized; Julius. Across the room sitting on the floor, was the woman and Julius. Many empty wine bottles surrounded them, and both looked intoxicated, their faces a light red and eyes watery.

"Jus' cause I give up-*hiccup*-don' mean you win," The girl slurred, stumbling to her feet. _Just what the hell is going on here?_ He thought in fury, marching over to the oblivious pair and standing with a menacing aura,

Julius looked up at him and stood-the man was clearly faking being drunk, he must've had some other trick up his sleeve-a smile growing on his face revealing all his teeth, "Lucia! I've been waiting for you." Julius leaned in and whispered, "Ya know, the girl is more funner now that her memories have been wiped. You should stop keeping her all to yourself-" He growled, bringing up a hand and smacking Julius' away.

"I told Haja to let everyone know to keep _out_ of here, if you have something to discuss, do it somewhere else."

The man tilted his head a smirk growing on it, "Of course, you don't really seem to be in a talking mood, I'll take my leave. But first," He watched suspiciously as Julius bent down and whispered something in the woman's ear. The girl nodded slowly her eyes flickering up to him a few times. A minute passed and Julius pulled back, straightening to his full height, he spoke directed at the girl, "Now, as I am the winner I'll be upset if you didn't do my little challenge. Ciao!"

Lucia let loose a sigh of relief that the idiot was gone, he turned his attention to the drunk girl. _Now just to deal with her._ He considered throwing her in the bed and hoping she'd stay there for the night when the woman did something unexpected. The girl began to unbutton her nightdress, once it was down so you could see the bottom of her bra, the girl flung herself at him. Lucia froze for a moment unsure of what to do, then he scoffed, raising his arms to avoid touching her. Lucia said in an annoyed tone, "Did Julius make you do this?"

The drunk woman looked up at him through lazy eyes, her grip around him tightening, and replied, "Maybe...issa' a secret!" I would take that as a yes. Lucia stared down at the girl, her cheeks were flushed from drinking too much, even if he did do something she wouldn't remember it so what would be the point. His eyes looked up and he thought, _maybe Julius was only after to annoy me. If so, I'll teach him a lesson or two, maybe stick him downstairs with that bitch._ But back to the matter at hand...he had a feeling that Julius told her to not let go _unless_ of something. Lucia sighed in frustration, moving so the girl's head was turned to the side, and he leaned down nipping her ear. Not hard enough to leave a mark, but it was effect enough to loosen the hold on him. A smirk grew on his face and he asked,

"That enough?" He lifted the woman's chin so she met his eyes, the girl only held the gaze for a few seconds before looking elsewhere. He faintly heard her mumble a yes. He released his hold on the girl's face and walked over to his side of the bed, sliding his coat off and the rest of his heavy clothes. "I'd suggest you head to bed," He began in a cold tone, "Hangovers aren't too fun."

"Ah," He watched halfway on the bed as the girl sluggishly walked over, rolling onto the bed. He followed suit, plopping down onto his side and shifting every now and then to get comfy. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, an object slunk around him. Lucia stiffened, his hand automatically reaching for his sword, when he realized it was just the woman. He looked out of the corner of his eyes at the woman who had moved closer to him, her sleeping face peaceful. A few weeks ago his goal had been to taint her...now he wondered if there really was any way to do that. The girl seemed _too_ happy, even if she didn't show it. _And,_ he wondered if he was up to it when the time came. If his suspicions were correct the Rave Master would arrive in a week or two, and already the girl has started to bend to his will. A crazed smile grew on his face in the darkness, he gently stroked the girl's hair. _That's right Rave Master. When you come to save your precious "girlfriend", I'll have already made her mine, and you'll be walking into a trap._

Sometime later in the night, as the pair were both asleep, there was a whisper. It came from the girl, and the voice said, " _Rave,"_


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter!)**

Haru leaned against the railing, the wind buffeting through his hair and cooling his head. They were making good speed, so far were on track-other than a little stop in Glarona for more supplies. In the distance, the flat land melted into mountains with a pass in the middle. If the mountains were tall enough they'd provide cover as they passed through them. A movement caught his eye, Haru looked over his shoulder to see Let stone face as usual discussing something with a crew member. He turned back round, facing the wind with a sour expression. _That's right, Let._ His mind drifted back to last night…

 _Haru ran down the halls hoping to catch up with the man. He found Let leaning against a wall, his head bowed. He slowed his pace as he approached, "Let?..."_

 _The man snapped his head up startling him, "Did you need something?"_

 _He paused before answering, "Actually yes. It seems like you wanted to say something a few minutes ago,"_

 _Let tilted his head to the side, "Are you sure you want me to say it?"_

 _His eyes flickered in confusion, "Of course,"_

 _The man nodded before saying, "Alright, since we can't take Reina's word for Elie's memories being lost-as she is the enemy-we have to consider a possibility; Lucia has already killed her and taken Etherion,"_

 _A sudden anger flared in him. He knew Let liked to be careful at times but…this situation was different. He met Let's eyes and spoke, his mouth finding the right words he had been at a loss for moments ago, "Believe what you want to believe, Let." Haru pushed past the man, not giving him a chance to say anymore._

As the scene ended, he was drawn back to the present.

He knew the man had his reasons, it was good to be cautious, but, would it _kill_ him to optimistic once in awhile?! Probably would. Lately the airship had been busy, between repairs in the control room and keeping watch for enemies, some people were on edge 24/7. He himself tried to keep calm his nerves with the upcoming battle approaching. His was confident that he could defeat Lucia and his lackeys, it's just the matter of Elie not remembering him. Haru shook his head and leaned further out so he could see the earth straight below as it seemingly slowly went by. I should focus on what's happening here right now, if I worry too much it can distract me. His eyes flickered up to the sky, I need to get stronger so when I do fight Lucia it's not an even match. I need to be _stronger_ than him! Maybe Musica will spar with me...no his arm is healing right now, maybe Let? Even without turning he could feel the hard gaze of the man, Haru shivered and turned further away from the windows. Definitely not.

He lifted his head up while squinting his eyes observing the scenery. _What's that?_ In the distance, there was a black blob. He almost didn't notice it for most of it was hidden by one of the cliffs. Haru's brows scrunched together in confusion and he turned on his heel, running back inside. "Haru what's wrong?" He paused at the bottom of the stairs twisting his head around to see Let,

In response, he shrugged, glanced outside, and said, "Probably nothing! But in case, just wanna make sure." The dragon warrior nodded slowly then continued what he was doing. Haru turned and began to run back up the stairs, taking two at a time. What he'd saw resembled the front of an airship, if it really was one then that'd mean a possibility of enemies dead ahead. But he wanted to be sure before he let everyone know. With that in mind he gave a burst of speed and arrived at the top taking a few more steps and entering the newly repaired control room. Haru's eyes flittered over the room; crew members working the machines, Hebi stood towards a window looking through a telescope Musica at his side. He tilted his head in curiosity, what are they looking at? Hoping to find the answer to that question, he jogged over to the pair and stood silently behind them until Hebi lowered the telescope and said,

"Yup, I see people armed over there. No Oracion Seis or Lucia though, but they might've been sent by him, better let Haru and the others-woah!" Hebi cut himself off as he was turning around and met face-to-face with him. "Haru when you get here?"

He gestured to the door, "Just now," His hardened gaze moved to the blob in the distance which had gotten steadily bigger as they've flown closer, "So you think they're apart of the Demon Card?"

Musica shrugged, "Maybe, if so they'll be easy to take out. But just be careful, if there's no Dark Bring users one of them might try and sneak aboard to take out our engines."

"Why if there's no Dark Bring users?" He questioned.

Musica sighed while giving him a bored look, "Because, Dark Bring users are the only ones who could potentially take us out right?" Haru nodded. "The regular soldiers are only strong in number, and I bet there's only fifty of them waiting for us, piece of cake. Since they know they can't defeat us, they're resorting to sabotage. Destroy our engine, damage ship, whatever happens, we'll have to stop for repairs-if the ship doesn't get blown up first." Musica muttered the last part.

Haru bit his lip, remembering the other paths, "What about the other paths Hebi found? We haven't gone very far into the pass yet so it's not too late."

Hebi looked at him and said apologetically, "Maybe, but those are the last resorts. One of them will take take three days from here to get on the correct route then we won't be able to go straight north if follow the canyon the route is on. Once it opens up we'll be a good five days away."

His eyes moved to the floor, "Oh, what about the other one?"

Hebi pursed his lips. "It goes out in a big circle but eventually ends up at the HQ, it takes about the same amount of time overall as the other one though. Our best bet is this route." Hebi paused, "Unless there's a reason to why you don't want to fight them."

Haru's mouth drifted open slightly and he straightened his back, "Of course not!"

Musica smirked, leaning forward to rest his good arm on him, "Then let's do it. Push ahead full speed! Slow it down when we get close though," Hebi turned to speed up the ship, obeying the given orders. At the burst of speed, Haru stumbled back a few steps but steadied himself by grabbing onto a table. "Haru go fill Let in on what's going on!" Musica shouted out. Haru bit his lip-personally he'd rather avoid the man until they had to fight together-and turned towards the door, racing out of it and down the stairs.

Once he far down enough so that Let could see him if he shouted, he leaned over the railing and said, "Let! Enemies in the distance!" The crew members in the room became silent, Let looked up to him a smile forming on his face revealing his teeth,

"Great, I was getting bored here. How long until we fight?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Soon enough. Want to be the one to greet them?"

The man took a step towards the glass doors cracking his knuckles as his did, "Why not?" He unsheathed Eisenmeteor and nodded in approval,

"Alright then, save some for me though!" Let only gave him a half-hearted wave as he exited the door.

"Pluuuu!" _Plue_? Haru looked down in confusion to see a white patch hidden under the table, a smile grew on his face and he bent down finding two familiar faces. Griff and Plue sat on the floor looking up at him, upon him bending down Griff looked about ready to scurry away.

"Hey guys! Haven't seen you around," He glanced around the underside of the table, "This where you've been hanging out?"

Plue vibrated in answer, Griff huffed and stuck his nose in the air. "Well thank you for finally noticing Haru!" Griff said harshly. He chewed the inside of his cheek, looking at the blue blob though slightly amused eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I got to go help Let fight in a minute if he hasn't took care of them already."

Griff gave him a sideways glance, "Good." He chuckled and mumbled a goodbye to Plue before heading outside to join Let on the deck.

When he found the man he was crouched down, his knuckles white pressed hard against the wooden floor. His eyebrows scrunched in confusion, "Uh-Let? What are you doing?"

Let glanced over his shoulder at him and said bluntly, "I'm going to jump to the enemy ship."

Haru scoffed and eyed the mile distance between the two ships and the death-drop beneath. "You're gonna jump _that_? I would wait till we get closer so-" But he never got to finish his sentence as Let jumped sending a gust of wind as he did. He let out a yelp as the ship violently rocked once back and forth and a piece of wood scraped his cheek. Once it settled down, his eyes wildly looked around, searching the flying figure of Let. He found him as the man had said, on the other ship. Smoke suddenly shot out in the sky followed by explosions. A nervous smile grew on his face and he looked down at the indent Let had put in the deck by jumping-those guys didn't stand a chance.

As the airship got closer he saw the detail of the damage Let had caused. Unconscious-maybe even dead if Let hadn't held back-men were scattered on deck which was full of smoking holes, the ship was in pieces and the only thing keeping it afloat was the fact that it'd caught on a cliff while the engine had stalled. He leaned out against the railing and cupped a hand to to his mouth, "Let! You about done?!" Blonde, spiky hair poked up from behind a pile of rubble. He met eyes with Let who nodded and stood, brushing off his dusty clothes.

"They were Demon Card soldiers on patrol," Let began as he hopped into the ship. "They spotted us coming and were waiting until we passed by to attack."

He scoffed scratching his neck, "It wasn't much a sneak attack. We could still see part of their ship poking out from their "hiding" place."

Let nodded in agreement. "It wasn't a very good job." Haru shifted on his feet and an uncomfortable silence spread over them. He broke it by sighing loudly and giving Let a pat on the back. The man shot him a curious sideways glance but was silent as he spoke,

"Now we're one step closer to Elie! It's a few days on this route, hopefully no more problems, then a day or two…until we reach the HQ." Haru hardened his voice, moving his gaze so that he was glaring into the sky, "And then, we'll defeat Lucia."


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N Hi'ya guys! Happy-early-Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoy the chapter and thanks for the reviews!)**

"What?!" Lucia shouted as he slammed his palms against the table. He moved his deadly gaze over each of the Oracion Seis, "You mean to tell me, the Rave Master, has gotten as far as to enter and maybe even _exit_ the pass, and you didn't _think_ to mention it to me?"

"Well, sir, the only survivor of the incident just came in today so…" Haja's voice trailed off.

A smirk grew on his face and he raised his head in the air, "That's great news people! The sooner he comes the better!" He leaned forward hardening his tone. "Now..I don't want you to be the ones to greet him. Your job is to separate him from his group and pick off the weaklings one by one. Can you at least deal with that?" The group members nodded with blank expressions. "Let me know when he arrives, don't me bother until then." With that said, he left the room slamming the door behind him and headed upstairs to let the woman in on the "good" news.

* * *

To no surprise the woman was reading. It was that same boring book she'd already finished. If she's done with it the most she could do is give it to him to burn. The woman looked up as he entered the room, a smile growing on her face as a greeting. Lucia merely nodded acknowledging she was there and walked over so that he was in front of her. "Something you need?" The woman asked cautiously. He scoffed and answered,

"Do I always need something to come here?" The woman tilted her head to the side giving him a look. Lucia sighed and returned the look before saying, " _Fine._ I do have a reason to come here. I have more news on the people who are after you."

The woman straightened her back and looked him in the eyes giving him her full attention, "Go on,"

"There's a pass a day's journey from here, they've been spotted. Apparently they've approached at a speed faster than anticipated." He spoke in a cool voice, the expression on the woman's face let him know that she was believing every lie he told her.

"A-around what time should they be here?"

He smirked laying a firm hand on the woman's neck, "Sometime in the next few days, don't worry though. They'll be dead before they reach you." The woman's eyes widened slightly,

" _Dead?_ You're gonna kill them? I mean I get they're after me and all, but can't you just imprison the…" His gaze hardened and his grip tightened slightly around her neck causing the woman's sentence to trail off. Brown eyes flickered up and met his, they were full of an emotion he couldn't quite place. His brows furrowed in confusion and he removed his hand letting it drop back to his side.

"If they're a threat to your safety it would make sense to get rid of them forever wouldn't it?" He said in a low growl.

The woman stepped forward placing her hands on her hips, "Yes, but we should-"

"Shut up." He said simply, cutting into her words. The woman's eyebrow twitched in annoyance before she sighed in defeat. It was silence for a few seconds before he started towards the door. His ears detected footsteps behind him and let him know he was being followed. Lucia stopped and glanced over his shoulder meeting eyes with the woman, "What now?"

The woman opened her mouth slightly and didn't speak. He turned back around feeling himself getting frustrated, _well that was a waste of my time._ "Wait!" Something small attached itself to his sleeve and tugged. He zeroed in on it and found it was the woman's hand. "Be careful, when the people come," He froze for a second, taken aback, before quickly regaining his composure.

"Sure," He muttered jerking his hand away. Even with his stiff response the woman gave him a genuine smile then swiftly walked back to the place she'd been when he'd first came in. Lucia turned and exited the room, he stood outside the doors for a few moments considering an idea. When it was decided he turned back round and unsheathed his blade, kicking the door open and startling the woman.

"Lucia! I thought you left!" Her brown eyes flickered to the blade in his hand. "What are you doing?" Without answering he marched over to the bed and lifted the blade above his head then brought it down to connect with the chains. The metal flung apart, the pieces that were closest to his blade shattered. The woman stumbled back, "W-Why did you break the chains?"

He grinned, sheathing his sword once again. "You must feel cooped up here," He began in a sly voice only to have the woman cut in,

"Well not really, the place has a nice view."

"Shut it." He snapped in annoyance.

The woman huffed folding her arms, "Whatever."

"Anyways," He continued changing his answer, "It'd be better for you to be by my side for when your attackers come. If they find you and escape quietly how would I know you were taken?" He asked smoothly, stretching an arm out to rest on her elbow, hopefully to make her less on edge and easier to deal with.

His attempt worked and the woman's shoulders relaxed, "Y-yeah. You're right." The woman pointed to her feet and looked at him expectantly but he merely returned the action with a cold smile.

"Won't try to run?"

The woman scoffed, "Why would I?"

"Well you did try-"

"Well that was before." The woman snapped cutting him off and casting a glance at the floor. He raised a brow in question but didn't say anything. He lifted a foot in the air and stomped on the cuffs, breaking them in half with one hit. "Thanks…" The woman breathed out as she bended down to massage her ankles which were a light red. Once the woman had stood back up he said,

"If you're going out of the room you're going to need actual clothes."

The woman looked herself over, "And _what's_ wrong with my clothes?"

He scoffed as he walked over to the back hallway, "You'll look like a idiot if you go out wearing a nightdress." He opened the door and looked around the dark room before his eyes spotted a pile of clothing-the one's the woman had been wearing when she'd first arrived. "Here." He said and tossed the clothes at the woman who barely caught them. She threw him a look but seemed to get the idea and stiffly walked to the bathroom.

He waited leaning against the bed until the bathroom door creaked open. Standing there looking a tad bit insecure was the woman. She now wore her heart cruz tank top that reached mid-stomach, blue denim shorts, and her brown boots. The woman came out and did a little spin, "Do I look alright?"

He rolled his eyes and walked over to the door, "Is it really the time to be concerned about your appearance?"

The woman jogged over to where he was and muttered, "Well you were the one who told me to change…"

"Did you say something?" He asked in a warning tone.

"N-nothing! You must be hearing things!" The woman exclaimed nervously.

"That's what I thought." Lucia exited the room and stood in the hallway, realizing he wasn't being followed he let loose an agitated sigh and reached back grabbing the woman by her wrist. "Stop gawking." The woman didn't give a reply but huffed and matched his pace.

They arrived downstairs minutes later. He noticed several confused looks being shot their way. Most underlings paused after they'd passed to wonder over who the woman was that their leader was "escorting" around the HQ. Down the hall he spotted Berial speaking to Julius. He bit his lip in frustration, _if Julius tries to start trouble again he'll get what's been coming._ As they approached the conversation between the two slowed and they gaped at the sight. It wasn't until they'd passed that Julius called out,

"Lucia! What's the Etherion girl doing out?!" He didn't answer, only tugged at the woman who'd begun to slow down.

"Where are we going?" The woman asked from behind him.

"A place where I spend most of my day," He answered and didn't give any more information. At the end of the hall they were walking down they were met with a thick set of wooden doors. He easily pushed them open. It was what you could say throne room.

A frayed red carpet lay on the floor and over three stairs that led up to a large chair. The room was pretty empty except for a rectangular table off to the side. " _This_ place?" The woman spoke her voice full of distaste.

"Yes, problem?"

The woman looked around, "No...just kinda bland." He tsked and released his grip going to sit in the chair.

"Well maybe I like bland." He snapped as he shifted his sitting position.

The woman observed him through half-closed eyes, "You don't seem the type."

Lucia propped his head up and stared at the woman through blank eyes, " _What_?"

The woman blinked a few times before straightening her back. "Uh-I just meant you seen the type to go with more eye-catching stuff. Yet everything you own seems to be boring."

" _Yet_ that is none of your business. Just shut your mouth, come here and take a seat." He pointed to his lap. The woman raised a eyebrow before hesitantly walking forward. She walked up the stairs slowly, slow as a snail, _so annoying._ He glared at the wall until the woman gently sat down in his lap like she had a stick stuck up her butt. Her let out a mocking laugh, "No need to be so tense!" He watched as after a few seconds the woman relaxed, she slouched and slightly leaned back towards him. His dull eyes watched the door, awaiting the moment to come. _The endgame is near, Haru Glory. And I've got the trump card._


	14. Chapter 14

Elie sat at the table, her eyes skimmed over the spread of food in front of her. Bread, meat, wine, fruit, it smelled like heaven compared to the stuff she'd been eating for the past couple of weeks. Without thought she grabbed a fist full of grapes and stuffed them in her mouth, afterwards grabbing a cup of water and downing it in one gulp. Lucia stood off to the side watching her judgingly as she ate sloppily. With a piece of bread halfway in her mouth she gestured to the food, "Aren't you going to have some?" Lucia didn't answer but shifted on his feet. He seemed impatient about something, maybe it was about the people coming. Eyeing an empty dish she picked it up and stacked a few fruits and appealing meat, then walked over to Lucia who was watching her actions through bored eyes. "Here, it's bad to fight on an empty stomach-you said those people should be here soon. It's why you're on edge aren't you?" The man stared at the food for a few seconds, moving his jaw to the side. She mentally swore for now he seemed annoyed. Elie slowly brought the food closer to her, "Unless you're not hungry, that is…"

A tan streak shot towards her and the plate suddenly went clattering to the floor, food flying everywhere. Her eyes widened in confusion as a strong hand gripped her waist and pulled her forward. Lucia was the owner of this strange action; he'd pulled her into him and was staring down at her with emotionless eyes. The man then asked a strange question, "What are you willing to do for me?"

"Whatever's necessary." The words left her mouth before she could think. It surprised her a little but now that she actually did think about it she would do what her words said.

"Would you kill someone?" Her eyes widened in surprise. _Kill someone?!_

Her brows furrowed and she asked slowly, "Who?"

Lucia smirked, "The man who's after you. I'll weaken him but I want you to deliver the final blow."

Elie snapped forward so that her face was mere inches away from Lucia's, "I thought we said we weren't killing them!"

Lucia sighed in annoyance, " _You_ said that and we discussed it. It was final that I _am_ killing them."

She bit her lip and glared at the floor. "But why do you want _me_ to kill him? Can't you finish him yourself?

Lucia tightened his hold around her and said in a low tone, "I want you to because it'll affect him in more ways than you think."

Elie's eyes flickered to to meet Lucia's in confusion, "What do you-"

"Sir!" The door suddenly slammed open to reveal a soldier wearing a frantic expression. The soldier opened his mouth to speak but paused seeing her, then continued, "They've arrived."

Lucia began to chuckle beside her, it developed into a laugh that sent a chill down her spine. "Great news soldier!" Lucia's voice became more serious, "Make sure the others know their orders. Leave, now." With a salute the soldier quickly exited the room making it so her and Lucia were once again alone.

She nervously looked at the the man who bore a large grin, "Be careful when you fight him, alright?"

Lucia scoffed and released his hold, walking to sit up on the throne-like chair, "He'll be no match for me." A glint appeared in the man's eyes and he motioned her over. Curiously she approached. Lucia pulled a dagger from his coat pocket and shoved it in her direction, his lips boarding between a frown and a smirk, "I'm giving you a weapon for when it's time. Don't get any ideas in the meantime."

She gave him a tight smile and observed the weapon. It had a blade a little shorter than her lower arm, it was dirty but had a sharp point. The hilt had murky jewels embedded in it. She wondered if this was something precious to Lucia, or something he just picked up for it's looks. After twirling it once in her hands she put it through one of her belt loops. "Thanks…" Elie said her voice trailing off. Her eyes wandered over to the door, Elie sat down on the chair's arm and kept her gaze locked to the door. She was nervous. And she didn't want to kill anyone. But, if it was for the best, she'd do it. The thing that mattered though was that she'd have Lucia at her side, to help her put an end to all this.

 **(A/N Kinda a short chapter, I couldn't really think of anything else to be put in for Elie's POV. Next chapter will start in Haru's POV (might switch during it), and the climax is here! See you next time!)**


	15. Chapter 15

They'd made it out of the pass without any more attacks. As Reina had said; they pass opened up into a desert which after a day began to develop into a forest. It was around evening when Hebi spotted the dark outline of the HQ building.

The Demon Card HQ resembled a gothic castle-minus the gargoyles. It seemingly towered into the clouds and the pit surrounding it looked to be bottomless. At first glance the only way in was the drawbridge, but there might be windows that could be used to break into. That approach might draw too much attention though.

They landed the airship a mile away and made sure it was hidden. The trek to the castle was surprisingly easy. It was almost _too_ easy. There was no doubt Lucia had some sort of traps lying in wait.

Deciding traveling in a large group would be too noticeable, they'd split into two groups. Group A; Musica, Haru and Plue. Group B; Let, Hebi, Ruby and Griff. The rest of the Silver Rhythm Gang stayed behind to protect the airship and make sure they could have a quick lift off if it was needed.

Group A was going for a direct approach, they'd break through the front defenses on the drawbridge then make their way to Lucia. Group B would take care of the lackeys, or as much of the Oración Seis as they could.

Group A was currently hiding behind trees that were in front of the castle.

"You ready guys?" Haru asked as he glanced at Musica and Plue. The man and uncategorized animal nodded. Musica's hand drifted up to his skull necklace and he gripped it, almost debating whether he should transform it into a weapon yet or not.

"Plueee!" Plue said as he twirled around on a foot. Haru gazed at his friend for a moment before turning his eyes back towards the drawbridge. A light fog had begun to cover their path. It'd hide them as they snuck over to attack, but it also hid their enemies locations.

Careful to keep quiet, Haru stepped out from his hiding place bent low to keep himself hidden as he moved. With a glance over his shoulder he said, "Let's go."

Musica gave him a tight smile before he followed suit; creeping out from behind the tree and keeping close to the ground as he moved. With difficulty Plue climbed over a log that he'd been hiding behind then wobbled quickly to catch up with the pair who had already entered the fog.

Haru scanned the whiteness in front of him, searching for any shadows that signaled enemies. He gripped Eisenmeteor tighter as he saw the outline of the giant door getting closer. Now for sure he knew this was trap. They were at the front door and yet nobody had tried to stop them. "Musica don't let your guard down." He whispered.

The Silver Claimer chuckled as he curled his fingers into a fist. As he did his skull necklace seemingly melted and turned into a snake-like object, slinking around his arm and ending at his closed fist. Seconds later a chain was formed, the ends of it having what looked to be deadly sharp blades. Musica turned his head to look at Haru and said, "I never let my guard down at times like this." Haru regarded this with a smile and a firm nod.

"The door's just up ahead, once we go through there we'll have no idea what traps Lucia's planned." Haru said, when he said the name 'Lucia' he spat it out like it was poison on his tongue. "Anyways you need to extra careful Musica. If it was up to me you wouldn't be fighting. Your arm isn't done healing."

Musica shot Haru a glare and huffed. He didn't say anything although, he knew it'd be best not to argue at the moment. Instead he looked down at Plue and said, "Plue, stick close to us."

"Plue…" Plue said, the word trailing off. The animal shuffled closer to the two men at Musica's words.

"Okay, let's not waste anymore time. We gotta open this door." Haru said as he sheathed his sword and walked forward. He crackled his knuckles and prepared to give a hard push, but as he snapped forward the door suddenly flung open before he could lay his hands on it. His eyes widened in surprise as he went stumbling forward and into the castle.

Musica froze for a second as he took in what happened. When he processed it he bolted forward shouting, "Haru are you alright?!" In the darkness that his friend disappeared into he received no answer. He grimaced and gripped his chain, there was an enemy somewhere around here. He was just about to enter the castle when a rumbling sound erupted from in front of him. Musica slowed his pace, he looked ahead uneasily. He didn't know what to expect so that only set him even more on edge.

Suddenly the ground shot up. He exclaimed in surprise as earth rushed up centimeters away from his face. He jumped a good distance away and looked wildly around for an attacker. He found none. There was a groaning sound as the earth came to a stop. When he observed it he found it's height was at least half the castle, it covered the entrance and looked to be at least two feet thick.

May it be by coincidence but something in his gut told him to look up. Musica's eyes narrowed as he spotted a figure on top of the wall on front of him. He couldn't tell who it was because the person was so far up but he had a feeling he wasn't a friend.

* * *

He gazed down at the small figure beneath him; he believed his name was Musica, the Silver Claimer. He hoped the boy would be worth his while...he'd have like to fought the Rave Master but Lucia called dibs on that one. A low chuckle escaped his lips, it was time. He walked forward and stepped off of the wall he'd created. The air rushed rushed past him as he plummeted to the earth, certain death for other weaklings.

The earth drew closer until he connected with it. A crater formed upon the impact and dust rose in the air. His opponent watched with uncertainty as he stood and cracked his neck, a grin stretched across his face.

In a tone filled with dark amusement he said, "It's begun."

* * *

 **With Group B**

"Who'd ever think there was a back entrance to this place-poyo?" Ruby wondered.

Let looked down at the penguin-like animal and snapped, "Be quiet! We don't want to draw unnecessary attention." Ruby met eyes with Let and smiled apologetically.

Minutes ago, Group B had gone around to the back of the castle. There they found a group of Demon Card soldiers, it was a quick fight. Thankfully there was no Dark Bring users in that group. After defeating them Hebi found a bridge that went over the pit. Apparently the back entrance was used for garbage disposal-theory from Griff. Or as Let had said it was an extra escape route.

They now stood in the first room they'd entered since infiltrating the HQ. It looked like an armory. Seeing this as an opportunity Hebi had discarded his dulling daggers and in return took two new knives, and a few grenades. Ruby and Griff looked at the weapons Hebi chose nervously. The pair knew they were unarmed. It'd be a good choice to get weapons here and now to arm themselves but for some reason they couldn't bring themselves to do it.

Let looked around at the weapons in disapproval. He chose to fight with his fists. That was the more honorable way to do it. His eyes moved to Ruby and Griff standing awkwardly behind Hebi. He knew they weren't that strong-if he was being honest they'd probably slow them down. He didn't know why Haru had them come.

"You should arm yourselves." He said nodding in their direction.

The pair looked startled in his direction. Griff slithered-or however he moves-forward and gestured to the wall where knives were put on display. "I-It's okay! We can save Miss Elie with our bare fists!" For emphasis Griff brought up two fists and attempted to look threatening. Let looked away in annoyance; it's their lives. If they die because they weren't prepared it's their problem. He did tell them after all.

"Let's get going. We have to find the Oracion Seis and make sure they don't block Haru and Musica's path." Hebi said as he sheathed his knives and walked towards the door. Let could tell the man was nervous, he was doing a good job hiding it though.

That bastard, Jegan, was here somewhere. He didn't get a chance to fight him at Symphonia but here he'd get his revenge. Let was just about to follow Hebi when the man froze in his tracks. From where he was leaned against the wall he looked at him from the corner of his eye and asked,

"Is something wrong?"

In both a frustrated and confused tone Hebi struggled to say, "I...I can't move…" Let's eyes widened in alarm. Could it be _him_? That man he fought at Symphonia?! He had the power to freeze people…it'd make sense since he's a member of the Oracion Seis for him to be here.

A slow clapping broke his train of thoughts. A shadowed figure suddenly appeared in the doorway, a growl escaped his throat. He had a feeling he knew who it was. "Ah boys...You really are a nuisance aren't you? Especially you, Dragon Warrior," The figure stepped forward and revealed himself; Julius. Let narrowed his eyes and met the smug gaze of the enemy. Julius flipped his hair as he stepped to the side to avoid walking into Hebi, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you all, well, three of you, die a beautiful death."

If Ruby could move he'd be shaking in fear, "What do you mean three-poyo?" He asked in a quiet tone.

Julius flashed Ruby a smirk before he glanced over his shoulder at the doorway saying in an annoyed tone, "Are you just going to stand there all day and miss out on the fun?"

Let stiffened as a new scent drifted into the room. He recognized it. It'd been awhile since he he smelt it this close but there was no mistaking it.

A snap echoed throughout the air and he felt himself regain control of his muscles again. Let looked suspiciously over his shoulder at Julius who was frozen in a dramatic snapping pose. He decided to handle him later, there was someone else to deal with at the moment.

"We already agreed on you giving me the Dragon Warrior. I'd like to kill him myself." A monotone voice spoke from the doorway.

Let's face drew together in anger and he growled, "So it is you."

Jegan's attention moved to the man standing fuming in anger in front of him. "Yes. Now come. We'll fight outside."

Let drew a shaky hand into a fist and watched as Jegan turned to leave, waiting for him to follow. "Go fight him, we can handle this guy." Hebi said, determination filled his voice. Let looked at each of his companions, then at Julius who gave him a playful grin.

He sighed quietly. "Don't underestimate him." He offered the piece of advice before heading towards the door. Hearing that Let had begun to follow him Jegan started walking again. Let was led outside and back across the bridge.

Both men stood glaring at each other, almost daring the other to strike first.

"I see you've held the Dragon Ritual. Considering it wasn't at the temple I'm surprised you survived." Jegan said emotionlessly.

"You'd wish I hadn't." He said in a deadly calm tone. Jegan cocked his head to the side at his threat. A wicked smile began to form on his opponent's face. Jegan leaned back slightly and let out a mad chuckle saying,

"Empty threats won't do you any good...Come! Let the fight begin!"

 **Elie's POV**

Elie stood gazing out a window. Her fingertips lay on the cold glass and her eyes were focused onto the last wisps of sunlight in the distance. Something felt wrong. She didn't know what though. A sudden warmth on her back caused her to stiffen. Arms slunk around her and hung down in front of her. Lucia had come up and now stood directly behind her. She knew he was bored, he was itching for a fight. Even with such a seemingly relaxed position she could tell he was tense.

With the sunlight gone the darkness had taken over rather quickly. Elie was scanning the land that she could see when suddenly a loud rumbling filled the room. On instinct she gripped Lucia's arms. The man straightened his back and removed her hand from where it was attached to his wrist. Eventually the rumbling got quieter and it was replaced with a dark chuckle.

Elie eyed Lucia out of the corner of her eyes, awaiting an answer to just what that was. The man had a crazed grin on his face as he said, "So you've finally arrived, Rave Master!"


	16. Chapter 16

**(A/N Hey everyone!** **Sorry for the late updates guys, but thanks for being so patient! To let you know in Let's POV it's a** **1st person instead of 3rd. Until next time!)**

He'd decided, this place was a maze. Haru had been running around this castle or whatever the hell it was for a good ten minutes. He'd been up stairs, down halls, _into_ _walls_ ; but still, there was no sign of Lucia or Elie. Nor another person for that matter! He was getting pissed off, he wanted to see Elie, beat Lucia and wipe that smug grin right off his face. One problem; he had _no_ idea where the hell he was!

Haru huffed in agitation. He had a feeling having him run around like an idiot was some part of Lucia's plan. Also, he was worried about Musica. Someone had purposely separated them. If this happened to the other group it wouldn't turn out so good. But they have Let, that guy wouldn't let anything happen _._ With that thought as a source of reassurance, he pushed onward.

* * *

 **Let's POV**

I grimaced as I narrowly dodged blows, it took a huge amount of my focus to follow where the hand was going. If I misjudged the aim my opponent's attack could cause a painful wound. Jegan paused for a millisecond, then went to attack again. During that millisecond I attempted to do some damage. I went to go grab Jegan's throat to bring him down, but the man sidestepped and retaliated.

Jegan's outstretched hand was reaching towards me. The man wanted to yank me down into the dirt below and finish me there. But I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Swiftly I bended down, as Jegan went over me I snapped up, my head slamming into the man's jaw.

Jegan stumbled back, his eyes in slits that glared at me in pain. Without wasting a second I continued on the attack before he could recover. I shot out a curled fist into the man's stomach, above me I heard a satisfying grunt of pain.

The man chuckled, drifting backwards as he brought a hand to his stomach. "You've grown in power." Jegan commented. "If I recall last time we fought you were a weakling."

A growl escaped my throat. "Enough talking. Let's fight."

Jegan raised a brow mockingly. "You think you can win? No matter what, I'll always have the trump card that'll leave you helpless."

I scoffed, getting into a fighting stance readying myself. Even though I'd ask I had a sick feeling on what it was. "And _what_ would that be?"

Jegan copied my stance and answered in a low tone, "That's for later."

For a few seconds the air was immeasurably tense, the pair glared daggers at each other in silence. That is until Let made the first move, moving with such a speed the untrained eye couldn't follow. And the fight continued once more.

Somewhere in the clouds above only known to one opponent a dragon soared. It's wings cut through the air as it circled the cliff side beneath. It wouldn't attack, not unless ordered.

* * *

 **With Group B**

They were in a bind. Even Griff knew that. He was useless in a fight, being honest he wasn't so sure about Ruby, they had Hebi but…

Their opponent, Julius, wasn't currently attacking. He was just sitting by the door examining himself in a mirror. Every now and then he'd glance at us, as if wondering if we were worth his time.

Hebi grimaced, the man was confused. Didn't this guy say he was gonna kill them? Not that he was objecting, but they had stuff to do. "Aren't you going to do something?" He asked in a nervous voice. Ruby shot Hebi a look, the penguin was hoping the man would just stay ignoring them for the time being.

Julius looked at Hebi slightly annoyed. "You guys wouldn't even be worth it."

Griff almost jumped for joy when a spark of hope came to him, "Does that mean you'll let us go?"

Julius shot the blue blob a mocking look, "I can't do that now. It'll look bad on my reputation. Just be good prisoners and stay quiet."

"But...Why keep us here when you could be doing other things-poyo?" Ruby attempted to reason. Ruby felt himself grow nervous as Julius shut his eyes, seemingly agitated.

Moments later Julius opened his them and zeroed in on the penguin. "That is a good plan, _but_ , if I did that I'd have to leave. And if I were to leave you'd all have to die."

Ruby gulped. Even though the words we're spoken sweetly he could hear the malice behind them. They were hopeless, they didn't stand a chance against a Dark Bring user. Their only hope was Let, who was fighting an old foe.

Ruby glanced towards the floor his thoughts drifting. _Let, be careful_.

* * *

 **Reina's POV**

Reina couldn't think of a reason as to why she hadn't escaped yet. Stupidly, Lucia had left her silver on her. If she wanted to she could easily break the locks and make her way out of here. But something stopped her.

She knew the game was afoot. The Rave Master should be due to arrive here any day now, Lucia probably knows of this and is fully prepared. A little part of her wanted to stay and see how it played out. Which side would come out as the victor; dark or light.

Currently she was chained to the wall. A single chain that divided into two held her in place. The uncomfortable cuffs attached to her wrists and hurt her arms. The dungeons were disgusting, rats would scurry past her, and the smell was revolting. Seriously would it _kill_ them to clean the place once in a-

Her thoughts were cut off by a loud thump. Reina straightened her back and looked into the darkness. Curiosity sparked as she heard a voice speak, it's only words multiple curses. But the voice was surprisingly familiar.

"Dammit I was _sure_ that was the right turn!" Haru grumbled, bringing a hand to massage his face. But _now_ where was he? It was dark, he could see the faint outline of bars, a prison?

"I'd never thought I'd see you down here. Shouldn't you be rescuing your damsel in distress?" A voice drawled out. Haru snapped towards it. He recognized it, he'd heard it at least a month ago.

Haru squinted in the dark, slowly approaching one of the cells. "Reina?..." He asked.

"The one and only." Reina replied, letting a smirk grow on her lips as she approached the bars.

The woman came into sight and his eyes widened. "So it is you!" He exclaimed. "Why are you in a cell?" He found that she was chained up, could it be Lucia found out about her helping us?

"Isn't it obvious? Lucia must've known I'd helped you guys so he had me imprisoned here. Now answer my question. Why haven't you rescued the girl yet? You get lost?"

Haru cast an embarrassed glance towards the floor, not denying it. A chuckle escaped Reina's lips and she sighed, that boy's an idiot.

"Well it's about time I escape from here." She said, focusing on her silver to move it and change it's form. The once snake took the form of a lance. She looked at it approvingly. "This'll do."

Haru merely watched confused. He was about to ask what she was doing when a burst of wind silenced him. Seconds later metal clinking to the ground was heard in the quiet cell. When he registered what had happened Reina was already outside her cell, rubbing the spots where she'd once been bound.

The woman brushed her green hair over her shoulder before saying, "Shall we get going? If I don't lead you to Lucia then this whole thing would be pointless." Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked, Haru followed more slowly. A bit confused as to why she was helping him again but nonetheless he was glad for it.

After walking in the murky light for a while they came to a staircase which they ascended. They walked in silence and encountered no enemy. About five minutes later they came upon a large wooden door.

"This is it," Reina said as she stopped walking. "He'll _most likely_ be in here. This place is the "throne room.'"

"Wait, so you're not sure if this is _actually_ the place?" Haru asked in annoyance.

Reina shrugged, "Hey kid I did the best I could. My part's done so I'll be leaving now." He could only watch as the woman walked away. He couldn't complain anymore since he didn't actually ask for her help.

But he wouldn't know until he opened the door.

Swiftly Haru unsheathed Eisenmeteor, there was no doubt he would need the sword for this fight. Along with the help of the Rave. Without wasting anymore time, he pressed his palm against the door and gave it a shove. It creaked open, and hesitantly, he stepped in.


End file.
